Soundtrack falls short with Rap, R&B, Rock jumble

Most soundtracks these days load discs with songs by a few popular artists, throw in tracks by some obscure bands, sprinkle a few up-and-comers in the mix and hope the album will bring in the bucks. \nOsmosis Jones, Music From the Motion Picture follows this same formula and ends up with a disappointing jumble of R&B, rap and rock misses.\nThe first track, "Summer In The City," performed by St. Lunatics, shares very little with The Lovin' Spoonful's original song of the same title, reinterpreting the piece as a rap song. Although St. Lunatics raps well enough here, the track isn't anything special.\nDrama's "Big Ball" sounds a little too similar to Ol' Dirty Bastard, producing a sound that is far from original.\nThe third track, which is one of the better ones, features Solange harmonizing nicely with a strong, R&B sound in "Solo Star." Beyonce Knowles of Destiny's Child contributed her writing talents to the piece. \nSinger and actress Brandy, who voices the animated character Leah in the film, sings "Open." While Brandy's voice is at times sultry, it tends to come off as nasal on this track. Brandy keeps a steady beat, but the track fails to dazzle.\nCraig David of Great Britain sings "Fill Me In (Part 2)," exhibiting his vocal talents in this fast-moving, soulful R&B piece. \nIn contrast, R. Kelly's ballad "I Believe," not to be confused with his "I Believe I Can Fly," is rather dry despite his smooth sound.\nKid Rock and Joe C. rock out in "Cool, Daddy Cool," while Trick Daddy raps his hit "Take It To Da House," sampling KC and The Sunshine Band's "Boogie Shoes."\nThe remainder of the tracks feature popular artists De La Soul, Nivea, Sunshine Anderson, Ms. Toi and Uncle Kracker; their only problems are the selections they sing. Debelah Morgan also does her best, which doesn't say much, singing a song written by Oscar-winning songwriter Diane Warren. \nMost of these artists have talent, given the right material. But in this soundtrack, their talent is wasted.