Disney set The Princess & The Frog, its first-ever film with an African-American lead, in New Orleans, and wisely chose Randy Newman as its scorer/songwriter. Newman not only has a long lineage as a film composer, but his music has deep roots in the Big Easy, making him an ideal choice for the project. Both sides surface here, with the score leaning toward lush Hollywood romanticism, leaving the songs as the place for jazz, zydeco, and R&B to play. Naturally, cast members Anika Noni Rose, Jim Cummings, Keith David, and ...
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Disney set The Princess & The Frog, its first-ever film with an African-American lead, in New Orleans, and wisely chose Randy Newman as its scorer/songwriter. Newman not only has a long lineage as a film composer, but his music has deep roots in the Big Easy, making him an ideal choice for the project. Both sides surface here, with the score leaning toward lush Hollywood romanticism, leaving the songs as the place for jazz, zydeco, and R&B to play. Naturally, cast members Anika Noni Rose, Jim Cummings, Keith David, and Michael Leon-Wooley take the majority of the leads - N'awlins favorite son Dr. John does get to sing the fanfare "Down in New Orleans" -- but there's a strong dose of local flavor courtesy of Terence Blanchard and Terrance Simien, helping this soundtrack to feel a little less Broadway, a little more authentically New Orleans, and a whole lot more fun. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi
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