Music Review: TCG
What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that the Cheetah Girls' first studio
album delivers positive messages meant especially for kids.
Songs about love, self-esteem, friendship, and what it takes to
get over it when the going gets rough are so self-consciously
earnest that they sometimes forget to be very good; but the
girls -- as perky and wholesome as ever -- are up to the task
at hand.
Families can talk about "Break Out of This Box" -- a song about
the confusing mood swings that go along with adolescence
("sometimes I get mad over nothing at all/but I can't let it
break me/I give it my all…I'm not perfect, nobody
is/gotta break out of this box you try to keep me in") and the
value of figuring out who you are and being yourself.
Just in case anyone somehow missed the news flash, the Cheetah Girls want you to know that they are proud to be the purveyors of wholesome, nonexplicit music meant for kids -- or so they say on a brief interview clip on Disney's site. Sweet, thin vocals, repetitive lyrics, and over-synthesized instrumental tracks provide additional musical insurance that TCG will never get too sexy, scary, or soulful.
Though parents may be grateful for any CD that isn't filled with sexist posturing, and first graders will enjoy the clearly audible lyrics and danceable beats (Spanish-infused "Fuego"), there's a manufactured quality throughout that prevents three young women with obvious talent from strutting any real stuff. In other words, the Cheetah Girls get down on TCG, but not that far.
Hairspray SoundtrackClass of 3000: Music Volume One
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