[ NEW ON CD ]
More love than crime
on ‘Barbershop 2’
"Barbershop 2: Back in Business"Original soundtrack (Interscope)
The soundtrack to the follow-up of the smash Ice Cube comedy plays out in a familiar manner all too typical these days: a couple of strong leadoff tracks by established artists, choice tracks from newer label acts and a couple of newcomers to help pad out the product.
But since the "Barbershop" movies are affectionate depictions of the neighborhood folk of South Side Chicago, there's more love to be found in the overall selection of tunes than ghetto crime song-stories. The two exceptions: Mobb Deep's hard-hitting, money-money track "One of Ours" and the melodramatic but effective "Make It Home" by Spitfiya, featuring rising soul singer Anthony Hamilton.
The soundtrack's two top songs have Mary J. Blige and Sleepy Brown expressing the usual wronged woman-lover man scenarios: "Not Today" is an OK offering from the hip-hop diva, with a featured rap by cast member Eve and production work by Dr. Dre. Brown's yearning "I Can't Wait" finds Andre 3000 of OutKast chipping in with his rambling thoughts, in return for Brown's guestwork on the duo's smash "The Way You Move."
Previously released songs include two from Mya's "Moodring" album -- a bumpin' remix of "Fallen" featuring Chingy and "Things Come and Go," with a guest appearance from ubiquitous dancehall rapper Sean Paul -- and the leadoff track from British duo Floetry's latest album "Wanna B Where U R (Thisizzaluvsong)," that features Mos Def on a song that pops with the sampled rhythm track on the Average White Band's "School Boy Crush."
Most of the new tracks are actually pretty solid, featuring newly anointed crunk diva (if there can be such a thing) Olivia with her new single "All" and the seductive, Egyptian beat of "Private Party," a hyped-up version of Luther Vandross' "Never Too Much" by Keyshia Cole called "Never," a surprisingly good-humored D-12 (Eminem's crew) on the James Brown-like title cut, and Avant and Keke Wyatt doing an infectious updated version of "Your Precious Love," the 1967 Marvin Gaye-Tammi Terrell hit.
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