Somebody’s grandson is getting some Duplos®! Yay! Check your email, Gloria! You have 48 hours to email me before I have to pick another winner.

Let me first say that I am not an official music critic. I have opinions but I wouldn’t consider myself an expert on any kind of music unless maybe you count playing Heart and Soul on the piano. However, I am pretty good at taking free stuff and letting you know what I think of it so here’s my unofficial official review of Disney’s The Princess and the Frog soundtrack.

The only reason I even signed up to do this review is because Bug and I are very excited about this movie. We saw the previews a while back and have been counting down the days until it comes out (today!). I’m so lucky to have a little movie partner. The soundtrack makes me even more excited to see the movie. The score is great and I can tell already that the movie is going to live up to Disney’s reputation of bringing alive a whole new world of magic.

The soundtrack starts out with the R&B song “Never Knew I Needed” by Ne-Yo. It’s not my favorite song, but then I’m not a huge fan of R&B. I do think it will be popular though. The rest of the album is hopping with great tunes. I love love love the plunkity-plunk honky-tonk of “Down in New Orleans” and “Friends on the Other Side.” Randy Newman is so amazing at writing songs that encapsulate a character. These songs are bursting with personality and whimsy. Listening to them, I can almost see the movie just by closing my eyes.

Something else that I loved about this soundtrack is that the flavors of New Orleans are mixed throughout. From the bits of French in “Ma Belle Evangeline” to the accordion and frottoir in “Gonna Take You There,” it sends me fondly back to my memories of that one time that I visited the French Quarter. I’m not a New Orleans expert but I can get behind any kind of music that incorporates a washboard and a banjo.

The rest of the songs are from the score and they are beautiful. It’s not something I can leave playing in the background, because the volume and mood are too variable for it to be soothing. It goes from loud to soft, and some parts are spooky and foreboding while other parts are peppy and make you want to dance. I love how the themes are reworked with different instruments and styles.

We can’t wait to see how the songs play out in the movie!