DANGEROUS MINDS - MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE

Aside from the Wendy & Lisa track, there wasn't much interest in this disc for me. Sure I knew some of the artists on here, but none of them were people I collected or followed with the one exception.

Soundtracks are sometimes a hit or miss. You can get a soundtrack with great songs all the way through or one that has a couple decent tracks and then nothing but garbage. I bought this CD at a used CD store and only paid a couple bucks for it, so I believed I was getting the latter. In fact, up until recently, I only ever listened to the Wendy & Lisa cut. It was because of my nephew that I discovered this CD for the first time after owning it for years. I was putting together a hip hop compilation disc for him and was searching through my hip hop collection to find songs that weren't heavy with cuss words. This was one of the albums I listened to.

The opening Coolio track was well known at the time the movie was out. It was a big hit on the radio. Urban stations everywhere were pushing this track and I knew it well. I'm not sure I've ever formed an opinion on it beyond the fact it doesn't bother me. I just never cared one way or another on it. The Aaron Hall track is a wonderfully fun number with a great beat, high energy vocals and a catchy tune. I really like it. Enough to follow up with Aaron Hall. The Big Mike tune is boring with language and that whole gangsta thug poser bit that was popular back in the day. I've always found it rather annoying personally. Rappin' 4-Tay has two tracks on this disc. The first one, 'Problems' is lackluster and boring musically. Lyrically, it speaks about the concerns of most urban people. Sadly, it just sounds kinda whiny. The second song, 'A Message For Your Mind' borrows a hook from the Jackson Five and is a fun number. It grooves along rather nicely.

Other stand out tracks include the funny and funky 'Don't Go There' by 24-K; the incredible R&B cut, 'Feel The Funk' by Immature; the surprisingly interesting 'It's Alright' by Sista and the Wendy & Lisa number, 'This Is The Life'. 'This Is The Life' is an electric version of the unplugged track, 'The Life' off their first album. Both versions of the song are absolutely brilliant and variations of the track served as various themes throughout the film. I believe this was the girls' first attempt at scoring a film. And what a way to do it. Absolutely brilliant tune and amazing mood music for this aggressive film.

So this soundtrack is one worth the time and effort. It may sound a little dated by today's pop culture standards, but the classic tracks are enough to make it a winner. My final word: WORTHY.

DANGEROUS MINDS - MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE
01. Coolio Featuring L.V. - Gangsta's Paradise
02. Aaron Hall - Curiosity
03. Big Mike - Havin Thangs
04. Rappin' 4-Tay - Problems
05. Mr. Dalvin & Static - True O.G.
06. Tre Black - Put Ya Back Into It
07. 24-K - Don't Go There
08. Immature - Feel The Funk
09. Sista Featuring Craig Mack - It's Alright
10. Rappin' 4-Tay - A Message For Your Mind
11. DeVante - Gin & Juice
12. Wendy & Lisa - This Is The Life