Austin Powers in Goldmember
Whereas the first twoAustin Powerssoundtracks concentrated on swinging-'60s mod, soul, and rock shagadelica,Goldmembershakes its '70s funk and disco groove thing.Angie Stoneturns in a silky cover of "Groove Me," while Beyoncé Knowles belts "Work It Out" in fierce diva style over rickety but slinky beats.Soul Hooliganadd cheesy vocoded vocals and synths to their version ofElectric Light Orchestra's "Evil Woman";Paul Oakenfoldmashes up "A Fifth of Beethoven" with a dark,Mission Impossible-like melody; and theRolling Stones' disco excursion "Miss You" is imbued with an intoxicating step-beat and throbbing strings byDr. Dre. Even Mike Myers gets into the groove action, drolly spoofingJay-Z's "Hard Knock Life" as Dr. Evil, to hilarious effect. But like the hedonistic '70s, there's not much substance underneath the songs. While understandable--Austin Powersisn't meant to be brain surgery--glitzy dance tracks by Foxxy Cleopatra,Britney Spears, and Oakenfold especially drag and become clunky.--Annie Zaleski