Mad Hot Ballroom [Soundtrack]

Joseph Baker (Composer), Steven Lutvak (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (June 28, 2005)
• Original Release Date: May 13, 2005
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Label: Rykodisc
• ASIN: B0009W5JLE
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #183,207 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Kids do the darnedest things. If they’re not starring in a documentary about spelling bees, they’re starring in a documentary about a school for rock & roll music--or maybe even one about a New York City public school program for ballroom dancing. Naturally, one would hold a soundtrack to a film about dancing to a slightly higher standard than most movie albums. Mad Hot Ballroom is probably not a future classic à la Dirty Dancing or even Flashdance, but it still does a producer proud. This is the music grandparents wish their grandkids would listen to: Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Glenn Miller--the oldies and goodies are in the house. The CD also kicks it Latin-style with a few spicy Merengue (Tango and Rumba, too) numbers. It’s feel-good music that gets the documentary-going crowd up out of their theater seats and into dance class. After all, if 11-year olds can do it... --Leah Weathersby

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Jarring transitions, July 19, 2005

By 

Ezra Shapiro "exiled New Yorker" (Los Angeles sprawl) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mad Hot Ballroom (Audio CD)

I'll be back to give 5 stars to the DVD of the film when it's released. The movie is terrific, and my 7-year-old and I were mesmerized. But we're not as positive about this soundtrack. It's great if you want a recap of the music in the movie. Also great if you're unfamiliar with jazz and dance music of the last century and need a sampler. But if you want to just sit and listen, this may not be the album for you. The leaps from big band to salsa to tango to whatever are startling; you might prefer recordings that stick to a single genre. I also don't think the sound engineering on this album was that crisp; the music is sometimes pretty muddy. Follow the names of the performers you see here and explore their other recordings. There's a ton of great stuff out there.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great CD for people who have seen the film and would like the music from the film, July 7, 2005

By 

Dorrie Wheeler - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mad Hot Ballroom (Audio CD)

Mad, Hot Ballroom is a documentary film in limited release about the ballroom dance program started in the New York Public School system. The soundtrack was released by Bulletproof/Rykodisc. The 15 track compilation includes a smorgasborg of different music. The CD opens up with the early 90's classic "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)." According to the track listing this is a song to "stomp" to. Each song has a suggested dance. Peggy Lee's "Fever" is suggested as a "foxtrot" song. It's a great CD for people who have seen the film and would like the music from the film to institute their own ballroom dance program. It is also a cool CD for people who just like many different types of music on one CD.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Music for Practicing Your Ballroom Dancing, February 19, 2006

By 

Paul Wake (Utah) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mad Hot Ballroom (Audio CD)

A couple reviewers have mentioned that "Corazon de Acero" is missing (by Lucia Mendez; she has a CD on Amazon you could buy that has this song on it, and perhaps you could burn it onto a new CD incorporating it and the music from this soundtrack CD) Not having that music is a major gap. Also missing, though, is "The Way You Look Tonight" (Sinatra, of course), and that's a shame as well. The other missing music isn't as much of a loss. Even with these limitations, it's a good CD for practicing the steps that watching the movie motivated you to dust off or learn.