Mickey's Dance Party

Various Artists

Walt Disney Records, 2001

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 02/16/2002

I've got two strikes going for me before I even open the shrink-wrap on Mickey's Dance Party, one of the latest discs of popular music aimed at kids from Walt Disney.

First problem: I'm not a kid anymore; I'm a thirty-something with kids.

Second problem: I'm not the biggest fan of dance music, much less the popular schlock that permeates the charts these days.

All of this said, I have to admit that while a bit hokey (at least in the eyes of a non-child), Mickey's Dance Partymy_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250 isn't really a bad disc. It does seem like the kind of release that will keep a group of kids happy for a while - or at least out of your hair while you read the newspaper.

Variations of the hits from artists like C&C Music Factory, *NSYNC, Christina Aguilera, Bow Wow Wow (geez, there's a name from the past), Vengaboys and Britney Spears float through the 45 minutes of this disc, and the pre-teens should absolutely eat these songs up. There's an undeniable energy that surges throughout this disc, even without the occasional voice intros from Mickey and the gang. (I will, however, admit I thought it was cute to have the voice of Goofy singing part of "Blue (Da Ba Dee)".)

With rare exception, it's nice to see that the musicians and vocalists on this project have tried to keep the spirit of the original songs intact - indeed, I honestly thought that they had lifted part of the original "Bye, Bye, Bye" and worked it into "Divas & Dudes' Medley". Whatever your opinion of the original artists, you do have to take your hat off to everyone involved in this album.

Mickey's Dance Party even features a few more famous names, such as ATC (doing a doctored version of "Around The World") and Myra's "Mickey's Got The Beat" (a redo of her cover of "Dancing In The Street"). However, if you have had enough of "Who Let The Dogs Out," then make sure you have earplugs for Baha Men's new version, "Who Woke Snow White Up?". If there's any good sign for this track's inclusion, it's that anytime an overhyped pop artist changes one of their songs for a Disney album, that's usually the sign that their fame clock has hit the 15-minute mark. Remember Lou Bega? 'Nuff said.

I have yet to test this disc with my five-year-old daughter - right now, we're still getting her trained to be quiet around the house because of her newborn siblings - but Mickey's Dance Party has more than enough to keep the little ones entertained for a while. If you're not careful, you might even find your foot tapping to this one as well.

Rating: B

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 2002 Christopher Thelen and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Walt Disney Records, and is used for informational purposes only.