Customer Reviews

Bridget Jones's Diary

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

I don't know why everybody's so critical of this cd. This is one of my favorite soundtrack cds. It captures the essence of the movie with a good mix of upbeat and slower songs while using a variety of musical styles. Some songs are a throwback to the classical sound of Sinatra (Robbie Williams' "Have you met Miss Jones?" comes immediately to mind) while others have a clearly more modern feel (Sheryl Crow's "Kiss the Girl" is a good example). I guess some people are peeved that certain songs from the movie aren't in the soundtrack, but that's always the case. Granted, it would've nice if "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" was included. That said, however, the track listing is available BEFORE you buy the cd, so I don't get it when people get upset that a song that ISN'T listed as a track ISN'T on the cd. The cd isn't trying to fool anyone...

Anyhow, I guess I think the cd's gotten a bum wrap because of people's own expectations, not because the cd's bad. It's a great cd. It's totally fun. I actually prefer the fast songs to the slow ones, so I like to program the cd player to play tracks 2, 3, 4, 8, 9, and 11. I can (and do) listen to these songs over and over again. Track 2 is Crow's "Kiss the Girl". This song is consistent with Crow's normal style, so if you like Sheryl Crow, you'd like this. Track 3 is "Love" by Rosie. I don't know anything about Rosie except for this track, but it's kinda funky and has a nice slow and steady beat. Track 4 is Robbie William's "Have you met Miss Jones?" Very Sinatra-esque. It's absolutely fantastic and Robbie has a great voice. Track 8 is "Not of this Earth", also by the talented Mr. Williams. Track 9 is "Out of Reach" by Gabrielle. Again, I'm unfamiliar with this artist. All I know is that this is a soft, slow song, and that Gabrielle has a nice soothing voice. Track 11 is the much-debated Geri Halliwell cover of "It's Raining Men." Alright, fine, Ms. Halliwell probably isn't the most talented person on the planet, but she's fun. I love this song. I'm unfamiliar with the original, so that may be a blessing, but I thought Geri did a fine job. It's completely catchy.

All in all, it's a fun cd that captures the essence of BJD. PLEASE READ THE TRACK LISTING BEFORE YOU BUY THIS CD. Decide whether you can live without "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." If you can't, then don't get this cd and be all upset with it later. If, however, you decide you can live with only the songs that are actually listed on the cd label, then please give this cd a try. I'm fairly certain you'll be pleasantly pleased.

i've been disappointed with many soundtracks lately because they don't include songs that are featured in the movie. this isn't a perfect collection- but come on- do we really need to have aretha's "respect" on here? i'm sure everyone's already got it in their CD collection, right?! and yes, van morrison's version of "someone like you" would have been a nice inclusion, but dina carroll's version is lovely- the girl can sing! if you're still hankering for van, buy the "french kiss" soundtrack- probably the last good soundtrack until bridget! this CD has made me a fan of both shelby lynne and rosey (she sounds like the offspring of poe & fiona apple,) and confirmed my feeling that robbie williams is the most talented unknown-in-the-united-states singer- his version of "have you met miss jones" leaves no doubt that he deserves to inherit harry connick, jr.'s throne as frank sinatra's heir-apparent. and i'm so glad they included the diana ross/marvin gaye song "stop, look, listen to your heart," (for all of us romantics who swooned over the scene in the film in which that song is played.) and what a nice touch to be able to hear bits of patrick doyle's score! the only low points are jamie o'neal's cheesy cover of eric carmen's "all by myself," and geri halliwell's rendition of "it's raining men." we always suspected she was the spice girl who couldn't sing, and this confirms it! if you loved the movie, the soundtrack is a welcome accompaniment! and one last thing- i wish there were more stills of colin firth in the CD booklet!

If you liked the movie (which I did), the Soundtrack is worth purchasing, but expect to feel somewhat cheated. What separates a modern (non-musical) soundtrack from a general recording is that, at the very least, it's supposed to be evocative of the scenes or sentiments of the film. The power pop songs and oldies featured on this Bridget soundtrack do evoke some great scenes, including Shelby Lynne's "Dreamsome" (the blue soup dinner with Mark Darcy), Marvin and Diana's "Stop, Look, Listen" (the make out scenes with Daniel Cleaver), Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" (Bridget taking control of her life again), Gabrielle's "Out of Reach" (moving on after learning of Mark's engagement), and "All By Myself" (the campy karaoke-at-home opening scene). However, there are two glaring faults: First, the omission of "Respect" and Van Morrison's version of "Someone Like You". Both songs appeared twice in the film at pivotal moments - so the label should have fought harder for licensing rights for these songs. The Van Morrison number would have alone justified your purchase; it's that good. While the label tries to cover this up by having Dina Carroll record a new soul/R&B version of "Someone Like You", it doesn't evoke anything from the film. (After all, the song represented Mark's feelings towards Bridget, so Morrison's vocal was perfect.) The second fault is the random sequencing: Why weren't the songs sequenced as they appear in the film? The first half of the CD is filled with songs that were either background music or closing credit numbers....the good stuff doesn't appear til track 7. Overall, these are great songs that preserve the spirit of the film. My recommendation: Buy the UK version of this CD (it includes a few extra songs, including "Respect") and the Van Morrison tune (available on several other CDs), and then make your own MP3 version, the way the label *should* have done it.

I was really looking forward to this CD when I saw the movie. Unfortunately, I am not as pleased with the soundtrack as I was hearing the songs in the movie. The most obvious reason for this is that the song "Someone Like You", such a wonderful part of the movie, is not sung by Van Morrison on the CD. His exquisite voice would have added a great deal to the CD, which is pretty good but lacks a lot of the depth and emotion the original artists gave many of these songs.

I did some "research" and the song playing while Bridget goes through the market is "Woman Trouble" by Artful Dodger. It can be found on their album "It's All About The Stragglers". They are dance music artists out of the U.K. Why it isn't on the soundtrack is beyond me. I would've liked that better than some of the other songs. Loved Shelby Lynne's "Killin' Kind" and "Dreamsome" and Gabrielle's "Out Of Reach" and the incomparable Robbie Williams! Wish the Van Morrison version of "Someone Like You" would've been in..other version is just okay. Otherwise a wonderful CD! Always makes me remember scenes from the movie..love it!

As soon as the movie of Bridget Jones is released in England, I will definitely go and see it, but in the meantime all I can do is listen to this amazing music. With songs by Shelby Lynne and a beautiful slowie from Gabrielle this is a guaranteed feel-good album. And in addition towards the end are a couple of great dancy-karaoke type songs like 'It's raining men' and 'I'm every woman' so you can sing and dance like the best of them. The best thing about this album is it feels like a mix tape that your friends would make for you as it contains a combination of old favorites and brand new tracks.

the song from the market that a few people have asked about is by artful dodger and craig david- its called woman trouble

I'm a music person. Not really into movies (though I enjoy them), I do, however, go for the soundtrack album. This US release does lack a few songs from the UK version, and those tracks are - Aretha Franklin "Respect", Pretenders "Don't Get Me Wrong", Andy Williams "Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You", Artful Dodger "Woman Trouble", and Aaron Soul "Ring, Ring, Ring". Despite lacking these five powerful songs, this soundtrack can still stand on it's two legs.

1.Shelby Lynne - Killin' Kind (4:41) 5 of 5 stars

This is a absolutely lovely song, and appears to be the only US single off this soundtrack. (The UK variation has reaped five.) A beauty of a love tune.

2.Sheryl Crow - Kiss That Girl (3:15) 5 of 5 stars

A strong new one from the great Ms.Crow, a slow rocker, and has grown on me from first listen.

3.Rosey - Love (3:33) 4 of 5 stars

A good song, reminds me of the Lilith Fair wave of the mid-90s. Fiona, Alana, Paula, and so on. More appealing then some of those as mentioned artists.

4.Robbie Williams - Have You Met Miss Jones? (2:33) 2 of 5 stars

Robbie singing a shabby Frank Sinatra kareoke. Awful.

5.Jamie O'Neal - All By Myself (4:49) 3 of 5 stars

A bland Faith Hill sound alike doing a bland cover, of a previously bland song. Hmmm.

6.Tracy Bonham - Just Perfect (4:48) 4 of 5 stars

A bit of a sultry tune, with an enjoyable voice. A good song.

7.Shelby Lynne - Dreamsome (4:12) 5 of 5 stars

Another excellent track by the great Shelby Lynne. Beautiful.

8.Robbie Williams - Not Of This Earth (4:42) 2 of 5 stars

This soundtrack does not showcase Robbie at his best, another dismal song!

9.Gabrielle - Out Of Reach (3:15) 5 of 5 stars

A beautiful R&B song, I feel the longing Gabrielle feels when she sings it.

10.Dina Carroll - Someone Like You (3:22) 4 of 5 stars

Another lovely slice of emotional R&B, a great love ballad.

11.Geri Halliwell - It's Raining Men (4:14) 5 of 5 stars

I know, how can I give five stars? Geri may not have the vocal chops of Martha Wash, but she can whip this song into a frenzy.

12.Diana Ross & Marvin Gaye - Stop, Look, Listen (To Your Heart) (2:52) 5 of 5 stars

This is a classic song, with two amazing voices coming together. What else should I say?

13.Chaka Khan - I'm Every Woman (4:07) 5 of 5 stars

A disco-funk classic, Whitney never did this song justice when she covered it.

14.Alisha's Attic - Pretender Got My Heart (4:06) 5 of 5 stars

This has a bit of mystery to it, and a great chilled out song. The second song by this group I've heard, and liked.

15.Patrick Doyle - It's Only A Diary (4:26) 3 of 5 stars

A lovely instrumental, I'm not really too fond of film scores, so this gets a so-so three.

Many complain about what this soundtrack lacks, but I think this a fine collection, and deserves a good rating. This also contains an enhanced element, which features a bit of story and a Bridget Jones quiz. All the extras, and the wonderful songs actually make me want to see the film, something a good soundtrack should make you do.

Be careful, the CD is described as the MUSIC of the Movie, which in part it is. However, it is NOT the SOUNDTRACT of the MOvie. The Artists in the Movie were all original performers, however, this CD has done something I didn't know possible. The CD has substitute original artists (ie Van Morrison )doing their signature songs...it was a real disapointment, especially after seeing the movie, which I loved, and trying immediately to get the soundtract which I also loved, only to discover I ended up getting the Music From The Movie...which is like getting Tang when what you want is Orange Juice....WHY???

I dont know whats going on here, but this is not, repeat NOT, the great collection of songs you would have expected if you have seen the movie. I certainly hope that one day the REAL soundtrack is released but until it is do not waste your money.