Customer Reviews

Wwe: The Music 9 (Dig)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Another reviewer wrote that he only recommends this to wrestling fans. Considering WWEs CDs never get any radio airplay, I would not expect anyone but wrestling fans to even know this CD exists. That's ok, because there are millions of us who support the awesome work of its composer (James Johnston).

Some random thoughts after one quick listen:

Randy Orton's theme is the title track, and it is a well developed song.

Do we really need another version of Kane's music?

I am not a fan of R-Truth and his ring entrance got old K-Kwik (pun intended).

Kozlov's music is awesome, but repetitive. Very much reminiscent of recent KMFDM.

Swagger's music reminds me of Rage Against the Machine. It is good.

The Smackdown theme is ok. It gets an opportunity to grow on you every week when you watch Smackdown.

I wonder if Umaga is going to be using the theme on this CD as his entrance. I prefer his curent theme (or shall we say, the theme he has been using up until he went out for an injury in 2008).

It was a smart move by WWE to re-envision the "Priceless" theme because the coutry-esque version wasn't cutting it. The image it conveyed was not suitable for the clean-cut, yet sinister "Legacy". This new version is much better.

Other songs include: Maryse, (Kung) Fu Naki, Kelly Kelly, and Khali.

Overall, it is a good CD of current themes, but suffers from poor mastering. Something is wrong at WWE Music Studios because the sound quality sounds flat and overly "boosted." I am not a producer, but once you play this CD in your vehicle and the doors rattle (mine are even Dynamatted), you'll understand. The soft parts are too loud and the loud parts are loud. Recent WWE CDs had the same issue.

Wrestling CDs tend to be a lot like the television product itself, namely there is "something for everyone". Just like the various characters and storylines on the TV shows, not everybody is pleased by the same thing. Some like the serious wrestling, others like the cheesy storylines, others like the cartoonish characters, others love the pure athletes. Wrestling is such a diverse and multi-colored universe that fans can usually find many things to enjoy while ignoring those things they don't like as much.

The songs on this CD work pretty much the same way. The chances are you won't like all thirteen songs on this album. There are hard rock tracks such as Randy Orton, Jack Swagger, Priceless and Vladimir Kozlov. Upbeat dance tracks represent Kelly Kelly and Maryse, while Smackdown and Eve are represented by soft-rock tracks that remind me somewhat of "Real Good Girl" from Volume 6. There is of course the obligatory "comedy track" which in my opinion get old real fast - Kung Fu Naki this time. Plus old school style instrumantal wrestling themes for Kane and Umaga. R-Truth's "Whats Up" and a surprisingly good Indian track for Great Kahli round out the track listing for this years offering.

Chances are once the initial buzz has worn off, you will find yourself going for the same 3-4 tracks that are your favorites, and leaving the rest to the "skip button" on your CD player.

A decent offering, but the days of WWE's and Johnston's creative prime for Volume 3 and Volume 4 are long over. It's just a shame this CD wasn't Disc 3 of the 3 Disc Anthology that WWE announced last year. Once again, we are left to hold out for that goldmine of classic themes.

I'll be honest, the main reason for getting this CD is to get the high quality version of "Voices," Randy Orton's theme. The album is named after this song, and it's the main selling point.

That's not to say there aren't other good themes here, because there are. Let's have a rundown:

01. "Voices" - Randy Orton (performed by Rev Theory)

Like I mentioned, this is easily the album's best track and one of my favourite entrance themes currently in the WWE. I can't stand Randy Orton, but "Voices" is a fantastic track. The lyrics describe Randy perfectly, and for a rock track, the song is very catchy. I always sing along to it when Randy comes out. A great track, definitely check the full version of this out. (5/5)

02. "Pourquoi?" - Maryse

Many of the tracks on here are done by Jim Johnston, WWE's music producer. Maryse's music is just like her, flashy and annoying. I don't like this theme much, it's kind of boring and repetitive, and it goes on for too long at 3:37. Not one of the better themes here. (2/5)

03. "Man On Fire" - Kane

Apparently Kane had this theme before his previous one. His previous theme, "Slow Chemical" by Finger Eleven, is TEN times better then this one. This one is very bland and sounds like the cheap soundtrack to a horror movie. Kane was much better with his Finger Eleven theme, and should go back to it. This is better then Maryse's track though. (2.5/5)

04. "Kung Fu San" - Kung Fu Naki (performed by Dice Raw)

I think this track is funny. It's a parody of Kung Fu Fighting and I find it very catchy and entertaining. The lyrics are funny and I love the Japanese feel. WWE never did much with Funaki's kung fu gimmick, so this song wasn't used much. But I like it, it's good for some entertainment! (3.5/5)

05. "Holla" - Kelly Kelly (performed by Desiree Jackson)

I actually like this one. It's annoying at first, but it quickly grew on me. It's actually a very catchy track and the "holla holla holla" bits aren't as annoying as you think. The rap is slightly annoying, but you never hear it on TV, so it's fine. This is one of the better divas themes out there right now, and a highlight for me. (4/5)

06. "What's Up?" - R-Truth (performed by R-Truth himself)

This is the only track here performed by the superstar it accompanies. R-Truth's theme is undeniably catchy and addictive, it's impossible to not sing along! It's a hit with the live crowds and R-Truth does a good job rapping and the "what's up?" bits are soooo catchy! A great track. (4/5)

07. "Pain" - Vladimir Kozlov

This track is really boring. But at least it's better then when Kozlov had no entrance music at all... Sounding decidedly Russian, this track is repetitive and not interesting. It works for Kozlov though, so I'll give it some credit. (2/5)

08. "Land Of Five Rivers" - The Great Khali (performed by Panjabi MC)

Another reviewer said nobody likes Khali, but that's not true. I love the big lug! This new upbeat theme of his is MUCH better then his old theme. This one reminds me of a Bollymood movie, it's all bouncy and upbeat. A very catchy track, this is one of the better themes here and works for Khali. (3/5)

09. "She Looks Good" - Eve Torres

Not the best divas theme, but it's infinitely better then Maryse's track. A song that describes Eve nicely (she DOES look good!), and at least it has lyrics. It's also short and doesn't drag on too long. It's just average overall though. (2.5/5)

10. "Get On Your Knees" - Jack Swagger (performed by Age Against The Machine)

This song is just alright. It's not terrible, but it's not brilliant either. This rock track works for Swagger, but it's a bit dull. The beginning is pretty good though, it's the bit most people know from the song. The rest of this song is just ok. (2/5)

11. "If You Rock Like Me" - Smackdown Theme

Well, of course, this isn't the SD theme song anymore. They changed it in November 09 to "Let It Roll" by Divide The Day. But this track is pretty good, if you ask me. It took awhile to grow on me, I originally thought it was too cheesey. But now I like it, it's very catchy and I like the beginning. It's short too, only 3:05. This is another of the better tracks on here. (4/5)

12. "Tribal Trouble" - Umaga

This track embodies all that was Umaga, bless his soul and RIP. Admittedly, it's not that great, but it definitely represented the Samoan Savage. Filled with animal noises and tribal drums, this is an ok track. Not the best, but not terrible. (2.5/5)

13. "Pricless" - Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase

Manu was also listed, but he didn't last long so I only put Cody & Ted. This is another average track, quite repetitive and not very catchy. I like the guy's voice though. (2/5)

In my opinion, the tracks to check out are "Voices" "Holla" "What's Up?" and "If You Rock Me" and maybe "Kung Fu San" and "Land Of Five Rivers" for some comedy.

It was hard to rate this, because I did genuinely like some of the themes here, but others were dull. In the end, I went for a 3 star rating, but round that up to 3.5. Check out "Voices" and perhaps some of the other themes I gave good ratings to. 3.5 it is.

My daughter could kill me--lol. This is all she hears now. Son-in-law LOVED it.Guess I should have gotten her some earplugs

i really enjoyed this cd but then i love wrestling especially randy ortons theme song thank you very much i love it.

This is actually a very enjoyable CD. All of the tracks on here range from really good to fairly good, which to me makes for a really decent album. If I could rate it 3.5 stars I would. Not a bad CD at all, but I know I wouldn't put it in the top 5 if I were to rank the "WWE the music" series. Not a bad collection of songs at all in the "WWE the music" series. You can definitely tell that it is Jim Johnston behind these recordings, (except R-Truth's theme, and some of Great Khali's) so you should pretty much know what you're getting when you purchase a WWE CD.

Overall, while the cd (as any would) has some sleeper tracks, the Rev Theory Track is half decent for what it is, and the Age Against The Machine (not Chris Warren Band) redux of "Get On Your Knees" for Jack Swagger clearly strikes me as the album's best tune (Yes, "Age" not Rage- its a tribute act to Rage apparently, who also go by the name A.G.E.- which I've been told stands for "Any Given Enemy". The Khali tune later grew on me as well. The Naki tune, I could have done without. Overall, solid cd, and great work from Johnston once again. I look forward to vol. 10!

The Good
Wrestling and music were made for each other. A good entrance theme can personify the character that has just stepped through the curtain. Just one or two notes of a WWE superstar's theme can make you cheer and boo in the blink of an eye. For years fans clamored for their favorite performers theme. The WWE kept them pretty much to themselves, until they realized there was a market for it. The WWE has their own in-house musical director, Jim Johnston, who is responsible for all the superstar entrance songs. Even the ones performed by popular music acts. Clearly the WWE has been successful with their music, as this is the ninth release.

This music package revolves around WWE's top heel (bad guy) Randy Orton. His updated theme "Voices" is performed by the lead singer of Rev Theory. The music matches Orton's personality as twisted opportunist. As far as rock tracks go, there are only three more on this thirteen track release. Jack Swagger's "Get On Your Knees" resurrects the band that brought you the Degeneration X theme. The theme to the Smackdown television program is a catchy rock-based tune, and so is the Ted DiBiase/Cody Rhodes theme "Priceless."

Three WWE diva's themes are here. Kane goes back to his old theme, ditching his old Finger Eleven song. Although it is hip-hop, R-Truth's theme is sure to draw you in, as it does with fans at the live shows. He is the only one that performed and wrote his own theme. Don't expect Beethoven here.

The Bad
I know that themes are supposed to play into the characters persona, but some of them walk the line between ethnic pride and ethnic stereotypes. But then again, the WWE has walked that line with some of their characters of the years. "Kung Fu San" is the theme for Asian wrestler Kung-Fu Naki. The song is a parody of "Kung Fu Fighting." Vladimir Kozlov's theme is completely in Russian. Indian wrestler the Great Khali's theme may actually be flattering, but nobody likes the guy to begin with. Samoan warrior Umaga comes down to a tribal theme.

WWE is scraping the bottom of the barrel for a lot of these themes. They clearly gave Randy Orton a new theme to try and sell this B-grade roster of themes.

The Verdict
Voices will complete any collection of WWE themes that you may be gathering, but the WWE is certainly grasping at straws with the superstars they are featuring here. Most of the superstars featured are low to mid-level performers with Orton being the exception. At least his song kicks ass.

This cd is nice but what every wrestling fan is waiting for is The WWF Wrestling classic themes cd.All the original entrance themes Like Jim Duggan,Jimmy Snuka,The bushwackers,Davey Boy Smiths,and of course what ever happen to Jerry The king Lawlers theme.Lawler has proven to be one of the greatest personalities ever to grace the WWF,so why no Jerry Lawler theme...Also on DVD,s Hey Vince Mc mahon dont you think its time to release the three Shea Stadium Cards in their entirety.Come On a three disc set showcasing all three Shea cards...This is the stuff your WWF will be remembered for Not John {I have No Talent} Cena.

I am a wrestling fan and really liked the last WWE CD I bought. In the case of this one I found that a little bit of each song went a long way.

As far as the purchase and the seller, that part went great.