First off, I should point out that I have yet to see this flick and it’s probably now no longer playing in theaters anywhere in this Great Land of Ours. I wanted to review it simply because the moviemakers used a bunch of tunes by Fats Waller, a phenomenal early jazz ivory-tickler and composer that doesn’t get nearly the amount of attention he deserves—even after all these years. Fats’ signature song, “I Ain’t Got Nobody,” is interpreted by Jean-Michel Bernard (who supplies the bulk of the instrumental music) twice, backing Mos Def on vocals the second time around.
I knew Mos could rap and his acting abilities have been evident in flicks like Monster’s Ball, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and 16 Blocks, where he starred alongside none other than Bruce Willis. But who would have thought, with all that talent spilling out of his ears, Mos could also carry a tune? The gifted Thesbian does a fine job covering vocals on several classics, even “adlibbing” during the appropriate playful verbal droppings Fats was known for.
With Mos shining brightly throughout, and Jean-Michel Bernard adding track after track of score filler, there’s still room for cuts by Booker T. & The MGs, as well as another go-round of Billy Preston’s always welcomed “Nothing From Nothing.” Regrettably, even though many may have grown tired of his wacky shenanigans, the other actor/musician in this mix, Jack Black, is left with only a humorous eight second mangling of the refrain to the Ghost Buster’s theme song. Personally, I would have loved to hear a few more tasty grooves by JB on this over-packed release. Good music, and hopefully an even better movie. I guess I’ve got to update my Netflix queue.
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