BWW Album Review: Matthew Morrison's DISNEY DREAMIN' Makes Uneven Magic

On Disney Dreamin', Matthew Morrison's new album, the Broadway and TV star puts his own spin on some of the most famous songs of the past century. There's certainly plenty of nostalgia and good cheer at work in these selections, but in some ways, they could have used a bit more pixie dust. Put it another way, the album is largely an analog to the onslaught of Disney live-action remakes: pleasant enough, but a little too obsessed with proving its difference from the original versions.

On this album, Morrison excels when he just lets his voice do the talking, rather than drawing focus to new and updated arrangements. He's perfectly suited for Tarzan's breakout hit "You'll Be In My Heart," and there's no excess instrumentation or tempo changes to be found here - just a great voice singing a great song. "Friend Like Me" is, surprisingly, likewise excellent. Although Morrison's voice isn't necessarily a perfect fit for the song, he makes up for it with a ton of energy and an infectious sense of joy. It's no coincidence that these are the two least-tweaked songs on the album and also the two best.

Morrison's tempo and rhythm changes to several of the other songs are clearly meant to give them a fresh sound, rather than just imitating the originals. While that's certainly an effort worthy of applause, the end results too often sound like the cocktail lounge versions of beloved songs, due to the specific choices made. On the surface, a duet of "A Whole New World" between Morrison and Shoshana Bean should have been spectacular, and both their voices sound lovely and blend together beautifully. Unfortunately, the arrangement is wildly distracting: the rhythm has been changed to be in waltz time (rather than the original 4/4 tempo), and not just once or twice for a bit of color - it's like that the whole way through. It's not a "bad" choice, but it definitely takes some getting used to.

The most egregious of the tempo-change problems, though, comes on "Go the Distance" from Hercules. It's bizarrely slow, almost plodding, and it takes all the spirit of adventure and hopeful wishing out of one of Disney's most underrated ballads. "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" escapes tempo adjustments, but instead gets an updated, hipster-ish arrangement that has an almost calypso sound. In style and tone, it reminds me less of Cinderella and more of that time Morrison sang Israel Kamakawiwoʻole's arrangement of "Over the Rainbow" almost a decade ago on Glee.

"When You Wish Upon a Star" is, effectively, the theme song for Disney as a whole cultural presence, so if you're doing a Disney album, you'd better at least nail that one. Alas, this album misses the mark by a wide margin. I can't imagine anyone was clamoring for a rendition of this song with snapping and twinkling piano that wouldn't sound out of place in a cruise ship lounge. It's a shame, too, because Morrison's actual vocals on the song are sweet, simple, and lovely. The album does end on a high note, with an unexpected and delightful mash-up of "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah" and "The Bare Necessities." It's high energy and a clever combination of songs - if only the whole album had captured that same kind of Disney magic.

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