Austin Powers: Original Soundtrack
Mike Myers's love letter to mid-'60s pop kitsch (and understated critique of the hardcore '90s) may not have wowed many critics, but it soldiered quirkily along to become a true cult hit. Its soundtrack is one of the film's more underrated charms--a savvy mix of '60s and '90s influences that are by turns infectiously silly (the Powers-fronted Ming Tea's earnestly energetic "BBC") and downright sublime (Burt Bacharach and the Posies' new take on "What the World Needs Now"). Cuts by acid-jazz powerhouse The James Taylor Quartet, the Diviynls, Quincy Jones, the Cardigans, and others round out the decidedly groovy proceedings.--Jerry McCulley