We Love Disney

It's impossible escaping the influence Disney films have exerted on popular culture. With Disney animated films getting translated onto the Great White Way, as an audience we can become jaded to the magic that really comes from those films, beyond the wishful thinking and the living happily ever after. On the full-length music project "We Love Disney" some of today's biggest names in pop music take on some of the greatest hits from the Disney era with contemporary musical mastery.

On the lead track R&B hit-maker Ne-Yo doesn't outdo the legendary Robin Williams who performed "Friend Like Me" from "Aladdin" with a relentless buoyancy that made that song an instant classic. Ne-Yo's performance is all his own, and has a lush jazz swing to it that is a wonderful homage to the original but still elevates it to all new levels. It's followed up by Jessie J's turn on "The Little Mermaid" hit track "Part of Your World." Fans of both of these artists are fully aware of their remarkable talent, but their voices resonate purely on these arrangements.

Gwen Stefani takes on one of the greatest pop songs on the setlist delivering a very tender rendition of Kermit the Frog's anthem from "The Muppet Movie." The No Doubt front-woman is perfectly ideal on "The Rainbow Connection." It may not have been the major box office draw that the studio may have wanted, by with pop-princess Ariana Grande taking on one the signature themes from the animated feature "Hercules" the show-stopper "Zero To Hero" is elevated to olympic levels.

Featuring performances from Jason Derulo, Fall Out Boy, Tori Kelly and more "We Love Disney" isn't only for the fan of Disney films and theatricals, it's a beautifully crafted collection of songs that stand well among the rest of the contemporary classics featured in the Great American song. Just listening to Jessie Ware take on "A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes" from the timeless "Cinderella" is enough to convince anyone that this collection is something worth revisiting every year. Need more convincing? Listen to the Rascal Flatts & Lucy Hale on "Let It Go" from "Frozen."

"We Love Disney"
available on CD on Digital Download
$11.99
The Verve Music Group