VA - Be Cool - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2005)

Be Cool is the sequel to the hit Get Shorty. Starring John Travolta, Uma Thurman, Danny Devito, Andre 3000 from Outkast, Steven Tyler from Aerosmith, Cedric The Entertainer, Debi Mazar, and more. Directed by F. Gary Gray

This belated sequel to Get Shorty finds loan shark-turned-movie producer Chili Palmer (John Travolta) burned out on Hollywood and ready to tackle a new showbiz challenge: music. Thus inspired, its soundtrack bounds between a wobbly mix of Me Decade neo-classics, sparing doses of contemporary hip-hop, and modern R&B. Anchored by '70s stalwarts Earth, Wind & Fire ("Fantasy"), an early Kool & the Gang funk-fest ("Hollywood Swinging"), and William DeVaughn's soulful "Be Thankful For What You Got," it goes on to embrace everything from the energetic 60's Brazilian pop of Elis Regina's "Roda" to the Black Eyed Peas' standout "Sexy" and a pair of heated R&B tracks from Christina Milian. But despite the hip-hop-tinged story line, the tracks by 777 and Kurupt shortchange the genre a bit, while John Powell's jazz-funky suite of underscore cues effectively channels the slinky vibe Us3 and John Lurie created for the '95 original. The score's kitsch/loopy quotient is filled by Sonny & Cher's "A Cowboys Work is Never Done" and The Rock's lovably fey send-up of "You Ain't Woman Enough."--Jerry McCulley