Dreamgirls Soundtrack Deluxe Edition

Just picked this up. None of the singers can match the vocal talent of the original Broadway cast - except maybe Jennifer Hudson.

On "Dreamgirls" Beyonce sounds like the material is almost too tough for her to handle. She pulls is off, but only by a narrow margin.

Thought "Patience" worked well in the film, but to hear the song out of the context of the film it's a total bore.

The other new song, "Love You I Do" is very fun. I love it I do.

My speakers here at work are crappy, so I can't get a good sense of the orchestrations and production values of the CD.

Borders has this double disc CD on sale for $19.99. It's well worth the price over the single disc highlights.

Good luck getting the booklet out with out tearing the whole cover apart. They have it wedged deep behind the 2nd disc.

Updated On: 12/5/06 at 03:05 PM

Jennifer Hudson is ORGASMIC she belongs on broadway

The cut of “Listen” on the soundtrack is a totally different version the film. The performance of the song in the film is much more restrained and effective. The cut on the soundtrack is an overproduced version of Beyonce trying to outdo Hudson on “And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going”. Sorry Beyonce – not even close. This is the Oscar bait song.

Hhhhmmm...unfortunately Target only had the single so I bought that one just in need of one of them. I'll make the purchase for the Double next week sometime when I've got more money. Man, does Jennifer Hudson own this score or what?! I think Beyonce is fine; it's nothing special but she talks about how everything up to "Listen" was supposed to be held back vocally. I hope that the movie pleases me as much as the CD is right now.

Cheers,

Christopher

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hows Anika?

I'll pick it up this weekend. I was just wondering if I should get the delux or the regular.

Thnx for the reviews.

But...perfect world? what is that about?

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A little disappointed. Every time I listen to the Dreamgirls score regardless of the cast, I realize I'm not a big fan of it except for a few songs, it's the staging that I enjoy. Jennifer Hudson seems to pay homage to Jennifer Holliday in her "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," her other solos are effective as well but Holliday still owns them, IMO. I know people don't like comparisons, but I must say Jennifer Hudson beats Lillias White's Effie on the concert recording in every way.
Anika Noni Rose's material is slim but she has a terrific voice, one can only hope she gets to play Deena on stage; it'd have been nice if she could've recorded "Ain't No Party" as a bonus track.
Why did they cut parts of "When I First Saw You"? Even the duet version is different from the stage version. My favorite part, Deena's "There comes a time when a woman has to go," was cut. I can only assume that with "Listen" added, that part of the song is unnecessary.
At first I thought I didn't get a booklet, but it's somewhat hidden beneath the second disc. It has some beautiful pictures, lyrics (finally Dreamgirls lyrics are available) and a nice preface by Bill Condon. I had the money to buy either the re-issue of the OBCR or the deluxe soundtrack, I should've gotten the former.

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Sorry, I just meant it was funny...i knew they were doing a J5 moment but it came out of nowhere...

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um... I have to say that the original is my LEAST favorite recording of the show... Probably because I'm annoyed with Jennifer Holliday acting like a 10 year old who dropped her lollipop in the sandbox... I feel like Jennifer Hudson gives us the best version of Effie...

Anika is golden in the movie and on the soundtrack

orchestrations sound lame... ringtone quality in songs like heavy

Beyonce is wonderful... i dont care if people are hating on her for trying to outdo hudson... she can do no wrong... at least she's not damaging musical theatre like gwen stefani!

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I bought the remastered OBCR a week ago and it was my first time hearing the whole score. I have to say that I am disappointed. I guess it's one of those shows that you have to see because I found the OBCR to be a poor representation of the show and the songs themselves to be only ok. It was the performances of the songs that really make the score, IMO.

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Mike3, I tried submitting the Deamgirls Deluxe track info to iTunes but I'm not sure how reliable that is. I input the info by hand with the help of the booklet.
I personally find Jennifer Holliday's acting in the OBCR fascinating, I do not see her acting as a "10 year old who just dropped her lolypop" but that's my opinion. Her rendition of "One Night Only" (or what we get of it) is one of the most emotionally-charged show tunes, IMO.
Vietgrl, in a way, I agree with you. I find the OBCR to be the definite representation of the score (though even the re-mastered edition does not include the complete score as the concert recording does), but the songs themselves don't do much for me. The performers truly make the score soar, but when I listen Beyonce, Lillias White, Billy Porter, or Heather Headley singing the songs, I realize how little I like the Dreamgirls score. In 1982, Nine and Dreamgirls were the major contenders in the Best Score category, I can definitely see why Maury Yeston won the award.

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Jamie Foxx is No Norm Lewis. I think Anika and Jennifer blow Beyoncee's singing out of the water on this recording. I am enjoying it though.