Published on Feb 16, 2002
I’ve got two strikes going for me before I even open the
shrink-wrap on
Mickey’s Dance Party, one of the latest discs of popular
music aimed at kids from Walt Disney.
First problem: I’m not a kid anymore; I’m a thirty-something
with kids.
Second problem: I’m not the biggest fan of dance music, much
less the popular schlock that permeates the charts these days.
All of this said, I have to admit that while a bit hokey (at
least in the eyes of a non-child),
Mickey’s Dance Party isn’t really a bad disc. It does seem
like the kind of release that will keep a group of kids happy for a
while – or at least out of your hair while you read the
newspaper.
Variations of the hits from artists like C&C Music Factory,
*NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Bow Wow Wow (geez,
there’s a name from the past), Vengaboys and Britney Spears
float through the 45 minutes of this disc, and the pre-teens should
absolutely eat these songs up. There’s an undeniable energy that
surges throughout this disc, even without the occasional voice
intros from Mickey and the gang. (I will, however, admit I thought
it was cute to have the voice of Goofy singing part of “Blue (Da Ba
Dee)”.)
With rare exception, it’s nice to see that the musicians and
vocalists on this project have tried to keep the spirit of the
original songs intact – indeed, I honestly thought that they had
lifted part of the original “Bye, Bye, Bye” and worked it into
“Divas & Dudes’ Medley”. Whatever your opinion of the original
artists, you do have to take your hat off to everyone involved in
this album.
Mickey’s Dance Party even features a few more famous names,
such as ATC (doing a doctored version of “Around The World”) and
Myra’s “Mickey’s Got The Beat” (a redo of her cover of “Dancing In
The Street”). However, if you have had enough of “Who Let The Dogs
Out,” then make sure you have earplugs for Baha Men’s new version,
“Who Woke Snow White Up?”. If there’s any good sign for this
track’s inclusion, it’s that anytime an overhyped pop artist
changes one of their songs for a Disney album, that’s usually the
sign that their fame clock has hit the 15-minute mark. Remember Lou
Bega? ‘Nuff said.
I have yet to test this disc with my five-year-old daughter –
right now, we’re still getting her trained to be quiet around the
house because of her newborn siblings – but
Mickey’s Dance Party has more than enough to keep the little
ones entertained for a while. If you’re not careful, you might even
find your foot tapping to this one as well.