Dreamgirls Soundtrack

Reviews, By Weasel, 11th January, 2007

Adapted from the musical based story of The Supremes, Dreamgirls casts Beyonce in her first starring role as Diana Ross allegory Deena Jones. She’s in good form here, particularly on the ‘disco’ version of One Night Only and on the single Listen, which was specially written for the film, as part of the grand tradition of adding new songs to ensure a shot at the best original song Oscar (cf. You Must Love Me )

Unlike Whitney Houston, who previously wanted to follow Madonna’s lead from Evita and sing the songs for both leads in a proposed film of Dreamgirls, Beyonce has chosen to progress gently in her film career by taking the less dramatic role, albeit the nominal lead. Or maybe she just didn’t want to gain weight to play the Florence Ballard role.

This means that former American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson, presumably glad enough of the break to chow down on some fast food for a while, is the standout here. Hudson’s voice drips soul like Whitney Houston can now only drip cocaine-induced froth. Hudson’s impassioned vocals foreshadow a performance for which she’s been widely tipped to take out the supporting actress Oscar (although it is basically a leading role, and many have argued that the role itself is the real star).

Hudson’s version of the musical’s best known number, the fragile self-esteem anthem And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going is superb, full of the same mix of defiance and resignation that made Jennifer Halliday’s version a classic. That said, Bianca Ryan, the teenage winner of the TV show America’s Got Talent, does a version of the song on her debut album that leaves Hudson looking like rubble left in her wake (this is even more so in this clip from the show).

Eddie Murphy acquits himself reasonably well, with a touch of gruffness that distinguishing him from Jamie Foxx’s smoother tones. Anika Noni Rose, as the third member of The Dreams, is a terrific foil for both Hudson’s theatrics and Beyonce’s smoother licks.

There are some forgettable moments of course, and Steppin’ to the Bad Side is an inferior clone of Heaven’s in the Back Seat of My Cadillac. This one disc highlights version is definitely the best bet for the casual listener, with most of the sung dialogue necessary for plot purposes relegated in favour of tunes.

Dreamgirls isn’t quite in the rare category of musical soundtracks which bears repeated listening without a level of devotion to the musical or film itself, but it isn’t too short of highlights either. Whilst the songs don’t generally resemble Motown-era classics, anyone who loves big voices and tortured divas should get their share of thrills.

Dreamgirls Soundtrack is released Jan 12 through Sony BMG.