A Whole New World

Where is the CD version with the remake of "A Whole New World" sung by Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey? It sounds so much better than the old original version. Not that Peabo and Regina didn't sound good, but it's 2005, it's more pop version with Nick and Jess!

Okay, Good, But Where's the Glory for Jafar?

The "Aladdin Special Edition Soundtrack" is a great volume restoring the classic Aladdin songs and including two bonus tracks as well. Although there is some unfortunate editing of "Arabian Nights," the CD is otherwise perfect. The songs sound just as good as you remember them if not better. This CD attractively mixes Academy Award winning vocal tracks with a stunning musical score. Included with the CD is a complete track listing and provided lyrics for all songs. Although there a couple errors in the provided lyrics, they are for the most-part spot-on.



This CD includes two excellent bonus tracks, "Proud of Your Boy" and "High Adventure," by Alan Menken and the late Howard Ashman. I actually find Menken's rendition of "Proud of Your Boy" quite enjoyable. "High Adventure" is spectacular and also gives great insights into characters that were planned for the original version of the movie and then deleted following sweeping changes.



The thing I don't understand about this special edition soundtrack is that it seems like they could have included so much more. My Windows Media Player gives the total length of the CD as 43:50. Now there are several deleted songs that are included on the DVD, including the superb "Humiliate the Boy" and "Why Me," as well as new music videos, so why could these not be included on the special edition soundtrack? I know they want to pedal the DVD, but if this is the special edition, let's get it all out there! Let's get Jafar's deleted songs, let's get the Clay Aiken version of "Proud of Your Boy" and lets get any other demo tracks that might be floating around, if there are any. Let's get the additional versions of Arabian Nights as well.



As for this CD's special edition CD-ROM features, I rather like it. I had no problems loading it and recommend to anyone that did that they upgrade their software. If you don't want to, then just don't use these features. If you do though, you'll get song lyrics for "High Adventure" as well as survey and registration options.

want to know about the extra tracks?

The five stars are for the bulk of the CD, which is the same old outstanding "Aladdin" music that was on the original CD. This review is for people wondering if they should invest in this new edition for the two demos included as extra tracks.



The short answer: if you're a big Disney or Alan Menken fan, a definite yes, especially considering the relatively low price tag.



"Proud of You Boy" is a sweet, yearning ballad in the same vein as "Part of Your World" and "Out There." It's decent, but nothing to get wowed over.



"High Adventure," however, immediately became one of my favorite Menken/Ashman songs. It's a romp of a track, and it doesn't have any close analogues in the remainder of Menken's songbook, at least, not that I can think of. The performance itself is a duet between Menken and Ashman, and the two of them are obviously having a blast (and dig those ultra-cheesy synthesizers!). This track, in my opinion, makes the CD a must-buy.