"Almost Alice" is a Lack Luster Pop Paradise

I'm overall unhappy with "Almost Alice", the CD to be released with Tim Burton's remake. Some of the songs are strong, but that VAST MAJORITY are fickle, candy pop that's sound is overall preteen and overly simple. Most of the artists they choose to work in this compilation are vapid and have no understanding of how to capture any of the elements of the story. I guess in that way the title stands up to the contents, it is truly "almost" Alice if a three out of ten for tone can be considered almost.

Artists like "Avril Lavigne", "Kerli" and "3OH!3" bring so much "Now that's what I call music" sound to the album, the good artists can barely scrape this mess off the floor.

Don't read me as all negative. Some songs are quite strong (mostly because of the stronger artists they come from.) Robert Smith does a beautiful remake of "Very Good Advice" originally from Disney's first adaptation that's whimsical and atonal it the best possible way.

The song 'Her Name Is Alice' by Shinedown also comes to mind, as it's one of the few that maintain any "wonderland tone." All be it darker then the source material from Lewis Carroll. (Honestly what I'm hoping for, but not expecting, in Burton's remake)

Owl City also does some great work in the song 'The Technicolor Phase', but it's really indistinguishable as Alice related. Not that it detracts from it much at all.

But I'm betting that the good parts of this album are going to be under played in favor of wrangling in the preteen Hot Topic market of mass produced drivel (interesting tidbit: I couldn't hear the song by They Might Be Giants, because it's going to be held for the "hot topic exclusive release" *gack*)

Avril Lavigne's "Alice (Underground)" is the same pop feel I've heard from all of her songs. Matter of fact I could have sworn for a few moments that this was just a old song redone with some fresh lyrics. It's being billed as the top single and is going to be played over the credits of the Feature Film, despite being one of the weakest both musically and tonally. I can only imagine that this is because of how packageable she is to their target audience (Which I am starting to believe more and more to be "Preteen Girls in Twilight shirts that love everything cute and popular") This is a shame, but it could be far worse...

ON THAT NOTE, I'm going to go into what I consider the worst song on the whole album, in all area's, including tone, lyrics, and musical talent. This would be Kerli's "Tea Party." This "Brilliant" piece of work would be something I would expect to see on a top 10 hits chart on a bad hip hop radio station (and I won't be surprised if I do) but not on any album that's trying to keep even the semblance of being mature or in any way adult. It's struggling to be edgy, and not really making it, with empty lyrics that are nether deep on there own or at all relevant in the contest of Alice. If this song is a predictor of anything to come from the film, then I may just be better off with my head in the sand then my butt in the theater. I'd like to take a little piece of the lyrics to let you mull over for awhile at the end of this rant, as I certainly did when I heard it

"I'm a lady, futher mucker. Try to show some class."

...

I'm a lady, futher mucker. Try to show some class?...REALLY?

okay.

All this being said I plan on seeing this movie anyway , and I hope to god that I'm just not a very good judge of pop culture.