Scooby-Doo
While theScooby-Doocartoons of the early 1970s were often campy and implausible, they were always jokingly scary--and tons of fun. Likewise, the soundtrack to the live-actionScooby-Doocontinues this spirit of lightweight fright.Outkastfuriously rhyme atop eerie sound effects and thumping breakneck beats, andBusta RhymesandUncle Krackerrap about creepy creatures above a herky-jerky bass line. Elsewhere, Allstars contribute a pulsating dance-floor homage to night noises, and theAtomic Fireballsgrowl a swing-dance about voodoo, replete with pounding drums and peppery horns. The album does have truly scary patches of mediocrity--an anemicDestiny's Childimitation by Beyonce's younger sis Solange, Little T and One Track Mike's lame-lyrical ode to love, andShaggy's laid-back but boring remix of the cartoon's theme (upstaged mightily byMxPx's livelier punk version). Yet, like the antics of the irresistible animated canine and his mystery-solving posse,Scooby-Doo's unabashed silliness and cheeky merriment is colorful and highly enjoyable escapism. Kick back with a box of Scooby Snacks and enjoy the similarly sugary fluffiness of this soundtrack--you won't be disappointed. Zoinks!--Annie Zaleski