Almost Alice

Various Artists (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 2, 2010)
• Original Release Date: March 2, 2010
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Disney
• ASIN: B00342VGSG
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (63 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #30,932 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Reuter's, February 26, 2010

Lavigne, Hoppus explore "Wonderland" Jason Lipshutz Fri Feb 26, 2010 8:48pm ESTRelated News 3-D films face new test with Burton's "Wonderland" Three days before Tim Burton's 3-D reimagining of "Alice in Wonderland" with Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway hits U.S. theaters, Buena Vista Records will release an "inspired by" album that offers its own share of star power.

"Almost Alice," set for release Tuesday (March 2), features original songs from pop and rock acts including 3OH!3, the All-American Rejects and Franz Ferdinand and a marketing campaign that highlights their broad appeal.

Avril Lavigne's new track, "Alice," has sold 45,000 copies in four weeks of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and will play over the film's end credits. The artist signed on to the project because of the film's unique charm. "I've always liked the story," she said, "and it was exciting to see Tim Burton put his cool twist on it."

When Buena Vista reached out to other artists to contribute tracks for the album late last year, the label encountered similarly enthusiastic responses from self-professed fans of Burton's work. The project came together as a radio-friendly addendum to Danny Elfman's original score to the film, which will be released Tuesday on Walt Disney Records.

The 16 tracks on "Almost Alice" include cuts by Metro Station, Kerli, Shinedown, Motion City Soundtrack and the Cure's Robert Smith, who offers a lively take on "Very Good Advice," the only song from Disney's 1951 animated version to be featured on the soundtrack. Blink-182's Mark Hoppus, who collaborated with Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz on "In Transit," said the strong lineup will encourage listeners to explore the full record.

"There will be people who will pick and choose certain songs to download," Hoppus said, "but this album will be something people are going to want to have as a whole."

MULTIPLE GENRES

Given the track list's diversity, the label has promoted the album to four radio formats -- pop, hot adult contemporary, alternative and rock -- with different songs attracting buzz from separate demographics. "Follow Me Down" by 3OH!3 featuring Neon Hitch, for example, debuted this week at No. 89 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 21 on Radio Disney's most-requested songs list, while alternative KYSR-FM Los Angeles has been receiving requests for "In Transit."

After Lavigne's "Alice" premiered on the "On Air With Ryan Seacrest" radio program in late January, Buena Vista began streaming songs from "Almost Alice" online in a partnership with MySpace Music. On February 19, 3OH!3 and Metro Station performed live at a fan event at L.A.'s Hollywood & Highland, which also had a costume contest and a cast appearance. In addition to two bonus tracks available through iTunes, an exclusive version of "Almost Alice" featuring three bonus tracks will be available through fashion retailer Hot Topic beginning Tuesday.

Buena Vista will boost promotion of "Almost Alice" during its week of release. Lavigne will perform "Alice" March 3 on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno," while advertisements for the album will run before screenings of "Alice in Wonderland."

For Lavigne, contributing to "Almost Alice" was the perfect platform to lead up to her "somewhat more raw" fourth album, which is slated for a June release. "It was a cool way for me to get out there again," she said. "This was such an amazing project for me to be a part of that I never could have turned it down."

Buena Vista Records has just released the new "Almost Alice" soundtrack today, March 2nd, with songs inspired by the upcoming Tim Burton-directed Walt Disney Pictures film "Alice In Wonderland."

The album has an eclectic array of recording artists and original songs based on the characters from Alice In Wonderland. Only one song from the original Disney movie "Alice In Wonderland," which released in 1951, remains on the album ("Very Good Advice")- but has been updated by Robert Smith (from the Cure).

The lead song on the album "Alice" was written and performed by Avril Lavigne. Avril says about working with Tim Burton, "I channeled Alice and tried to imagine what it was like to fall into this other world with such a cast of odd characters. Alice just keeps it together and gets through."

Executive Producer of Almost Alice, Brian Malouf, said he had no trouble assembling artists for the project: "`Alice in Wonderland,' along with visionary director Tim Burton and star Johnny Depp, conjures up a lot of interest. It was an easy sell."

Brian also said that the artists on the album were free to explore elements of the film and lend their own interpretations to the music. Tim Burton commented on this as well, saying, "It's cool to see how people take that one kind of idea of what Alice is and then just do their own interpretation. I think Avril Lavigne really captured the voice of what Alice is and what the character is. Avril has a new kind of strength and gravity in her voice, which is quite strong and I think really fits the character and feel of the movie."

Below is our review of the songs on the album:

1. "Alice" performed by Avril Lavigne
This is a very strong opening song for the "Almost Alice" soundtrack. It's a different sound than we are used to from Avril Lavigne, but we really like it! We can picture the character Alice and her trip down down the hole to Wonderland.

Avril's voice range on the song is great and full of emotion - making you feel as if you are journeying down the hole right alongside Alice.

2. "The Poison" performed by The All-American Rejects
A mellow song, which helps you relax after getting a knot in your stomach from Avril's emotional song. This song is easy to follow the meaning of and is passionate and full of feeling. It's definitely one of our favorite songs on the album.

3. "The Technicolor Phase" by Owl City
This is our favorite song on the "Almost Alice" soundtrack, although Owl City is our favorite group so we might be partial. We didn't even have to look at the iTunes playlist to see who was singing when this song came on - it's got the typical Owl City sound, and it's great! We're so glad that Owl City got the chance to work on "Almost Alice."

4. "Her Name Is Alice" performed by Shinedown
Another deep and somewhat dark song which calls to mind the Alice In Wonderland story and characters. Even though we haven't seen "Alice In Wonderland" yet we feel like we know each of the characters in the movie already just from listening to these songs. It is clear from this soundtrack that Tim Burton's "Alice In Wonderland" will be very different from the Classic Disney Movie we are all used to.

5. "Painting Flowers" performed by All Time Low
Another very fun song that gets you all kinds of excited to see "Alice In Wonderland" in theaters. Every song on this album depicts, through music and lyrics, the world of Wonderland and how mysterious yet exciting it is. We can only imagine what kind of journey we are set to see when the movie debuts on the big screen - especially in 3D!

6. "Where's My Angel" performed by Metro Station
While we would have loved for Miley Cyrus to be involved on the "Almost Alice" soundtrack, having her brother, Trace's, band Metro Station on the CD is fantastic! We love this song from Metro Station - it shows a less pop side of the band, but don't worry, you'll still be tapping your foot to this song!

7. "Strange" performed by Tokio Hotel and Kerli
This song reminds us a lot of other music released from Tokio Hotel - and Kerli fits in really well in the song. This is an emotional song with a great tune that makes us nod our head along with the beat.

8. "Follow Me Down" performed by 3OH!3 featuring Neon Hitch
Who couldn't love this song. 3OH!3 is another one of our favorite groups and their work on this song is fantastic. The beat is addicting and the words are easy to learn. "Follow Me Follow Me Falalalala" Catchy! Neon Hitch does a great job on this track as well - complimenting 3OH!3 to the fullest.

9. "Very Good Advice" performed by Robert Smith
This is the only song on the album that comes from the original "Alice In Wonderland" movie. While the song sounds much different than the original version, we still recognized it as we were listening. It definitely conjures up images from the original Classic Disney Movie.

10. "In Transit" performed by Mark Hoppus with Pete Wentz
A lot of fans were very excited that Mark Hoppus and Pete Wentz were working together on this soundtrack CD - and we have to admit, we're glad this song happened. The beat is awesome and the lyrics talk a lot about Wonderland and how it's a place for Alice to escape to.

11. "Welcome to Mystery" performed by Plain White T's
Another slower song on the album full of lyrics that describe the characters in Wonderland and their emotions. Great song!

12. "Tea Party" performed by Kerli
We can't help but think of Johnny Depp when we hear this song! This is the perfect song to describe the Mad Hatter tea party we envisioned in our head. We can't wait to see this part of the movie.

13. "The Lobster Quadrille" performed by Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand's song reminds us of the part in the original Disney Alice In Wonderland movie where we meet the the Walrus and the Carpenter. If you listen to the "Almost Alice" soundtrack you have to let us know if you agree!

14. "Always Running Out of Time" performed by Motion City Soundtrack
Great song! Motion City Soundtrack sings about running out of time and doing things in your life that you want to do rather than what others want you to do.

15. "Fell Down A Hole" performed by Wolfmother
The beat at the beginning of this song makes you nod your head before the lyrics even start! This is one of the fast-paced songs on the album and it's great!

16. "White Rabbit" performed by Grace Potter and the Nocturnals
The last song on the album, White Rabbit, reminds us that we are still in Wonderland and that we are surrounded by characters and whimsical objects.

Product Description

Out of the rabbit hole from Wonderland comes 15 NEW tracks from today's MADdest artists. Almost Alice features a unique collection of today's favorite alternative artists and the next round of superstars bubbling up from the underground. This is a companion piece to Danny Elfman's soundtrack score. Modern rock and alternative artists have long been inspired by the classic Alice in Wonderland tale and the cultural impact of Tim Burton. Almost Alice is the musical expression of those influences.