Cadillac Records (Music From the Motion Picture) [Soundtrack]

Various (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 2, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B001HBVEBU
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,133 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #6 in Music > Jazz > Soul-Jazz & Boogaloo
  • #13 in Music > Blues > Chicago Blues
  • #19 in Music > Blues > Modern Blues

Editorial Reviews

Cadillac Records stars Beyonce, Mof Def, Jeffrey Wright and Adrien Brody with the soundtrack featuring Beyonce, Mof Def, Columbus Short, Mary Mary, Raphael Saadiq, Solange, Little Walter and Nas with Olu Dara. The movie is about Leonard Chess who co-founded Chess Records, the pre-eminent blues label of the Fifties and Sixties, with his brother Phil. They formed Aristocrat Records in 1947 and the Chess label two years later with a mind-boggling flood of Blues, R&B plus Rock'N'Roll talent- Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon, Etta James and Little Walter. Phil focused on jazz while Leonard Chess honed in on roots music, making Chess the greatest repository of Black music at mid-century.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Blues for a younger generation, December 4, 2008

By 

Nse Ette (Lagos, Nigeria) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cadillac Records (Deluxe)(Music From the Motion Picture) (Audio CD)

"Cadillac records" is the soundtrack to the new movie about Leonard Chess who co-founded Chess Records, the pre-eminent blues label of the Fifties and Sixties. As such, the soundtrack is dominated by the Blues, with a few Jazz tunes.

The movie stars Beyoncé as Etta James and she gets to perform a few Etta James songs; a nice restrained reading of "At last", "Trust in me", "All I could do is cry", the retro doo wop-sounding "Once in a lifetime" (an original song and rather nice), and "I'd rather go blind" (the latter oversung in my opinion, sounding rather like an American Idol wannabe's attempt to impress Simon Cowell). Much has been made by a number of critics about her subpar vocals on these songs, but I feel she actually does quite well (except for that lone clunker I mentioned), much better than she does on her latest disc, but I digress.

Mos Def plays Chuck Berry and he sings "No particular place to go", "Nadine", "Maybellene", "Promised land" and "Come on". Jeffrey Wright sounds very convincing as Muddy Waters, all gruff and soulful singing "I'm a man", "I'm your hoochie coochie man", "I can't be satisfied" as well as "Country blues" with Bill Simms Jr. Columbus Short plays Little Walter and sings the swinging "My babe" which appears again done by The King, Elvis Presley.

A few other standouts are actually new songs; the rolicking Gospel "The sound" by MaryMary, "6 O'Clock blues" by Solange and the swinging Little Stevie Wonder-channelling "Let's take a walk" by Raphael Saadiq, each originally featured on each acts latest CDs.

There are a pair of Blues/Hip Hop cuts; "Evolution of a man" by Q-Tip featuring Al Kapone which samples "I'm a man", and "Bridging the gap" by Nas (and his father Olu Dara), also previously released.

The problem with albums like these is that people will tend to compare the performances to the originals and find them coming up short. I think it is great that the Blues is being introduced to a new generation of music lovers. Looking forward to seeing the movie.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointment Blues, October 21, 2010

By 

Susan M Reeves - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cadillac Records (Deluxe)(Music From the Motion Picture) (Audio CD)

I have watched this movie a lot, enjoyed it enough to buy the Special 2 CD edition of the music from the motion picture. The music sounds superb when viewing the movie. I played the sample that was offered, and it sounded good too. I ordered it, and got it today. Beyonce, Elvis, and the Little Walter tracks were good. The rest of it did not even come close to the sound in the movie. I sure am sorry I bought it. Anyone thinking of buying it, save your money. Buy the one on the Chess label that gives the original singers of this music. I have never written a review, but I felt that I had to in this instance.

11 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Soundtrack, December 3, 2008

By 

E. Harding "shesparkey" (N.Y) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cadillac Records (Deluxe)(Music From the Motion Picture) (Audio CD)

Ok like the first review i hated the rap tune on end of first disc, that said i dug the soundtrack get the 2 cd set. It was far better then the single cd. Beyonce did a great job with the Etta James tunes(fav's would be trust in me and at last), I hope the movie and big names on soundtrack will bring people to blues....where it all began. Enjoy all.