The Jungle Book 2
Depending on how wild you are about the movie, the soundtrack to Disney'sThe Jungle Book 2will leave you shimmying in your safari boots or feeling a smidge shortchanged. Musically, Mowgli and his pals put most of their peers in the G-rated soundtrack genre to shame:Smash Mouthsmoothes the old-timey dents out of the classic "I Wan'na Be Like You (The Monkey Song)"; John Goodman (the voice of Baloo) takes a joyride through theBrian Setzer-like "W-I-L-D," proving along the way one needn't be svelte to swing; Haley Joel Osment (the voice of Mowgli) adheres to his wholesome persona for a straightforward remake of "The Bare Necessities"; andWindy Wagnerbreathes a not unbearable amount of melancholy into "Right Where I Belong." But tracks 9 through 12 were lifted off an earlier release,Wild Safari Sing-Along. Still, while one may scoff at the filler, if it's a rollicking rumble in the jungle that's sought, one will come away from this collection accusing the producers of monkeying around.--Tammy La Gorce