Radio Disney Jams Vol. 3

Various Artists

Walt Disney Records, 2001

REVIEW BY: Christopher Thelen

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 03/25/2001

In recent weeks, it's gotten harder to go to certain stores with my daughter. This isn't because she throws tantrums or embarrasses me in public. This is because, every time we've gone to Target, she and my wife always have to extract me from the audio/video section... and instinctively my daughter headed for the display featuring Radio Disney Jams Vol. 3. This is the same four-year-old who can't read or tell time (despite my getting her a "learn to tell time" audio tape via eBay, which she listens to incessantly), but can sing Faith Hill's "The Way You Love Me" from memory each time it comes on the radio.

"Daddy, I want the Disney CD," she'd exclaim each time - and each time, Daddy would have to tell her that he was waiting for a copy to arrive in the mail to review. So, when the package finally arrived, it almost turned into a battle royal, seeing who would get the CD first.my_heart_sings_the_harmony_web_ad_alt_250

This collection of hits is the first in recent memory that doesn't feature a song from one of the "official" Disney animated movies (the exception being Myra's cover of "Dancing In The Streets" from Recess: School's Out), but it does not disappoint either target audience: the kid, or the kid inside all of us.

Granted, I am not a big fan of today's dance-pop, though I can listen to it objectively. This CD is crammed full of such acts, ranging from the household names ("Thinkin' About You" from Britney Spears, "Jumpin' Jumpin' featuring Solange Piaget" from Destiny's Child) and the lesser-known but equally enjoyable acts ("Mamma Mia" from A*Teens, "Dance With Me (Radio Disney Edit)" from Debeleh Morgan - why do I think a naughty word was cut out of this one?). There's even some AOR pop included for good measure, including BBMak ("Back Here") and Smash Mouth ("All Star").

If Radio Disney Jams Vol. 3 has any flaws, I'd point out two - and, no, I'm not listing Vengaboys. Slip number one was Hoku's "How Do I Feel (The Burrito Song)" - I'm sorry, but I honestly don't see how this track got popular. I could, though, see Taco Bell hiring Hoku to hock their products.

Mistake number two is a song I should have expected someone would come up with, but I still can't believe it - "The Hampster Dance Song" by Hampton the Hampster. If you've spent any time on the Internet, you've undoubtedly come across the "Hampster Dance" site, one of the most inane pages ever invented since someone pointed a camera at a coffee pot and updated pictures of it every 60 seconds. (Personally, I prefer "Hamster Blast," a site which supposedly really pissed off the webmaster of "Hampster Dance". Since this is a review for the kiddies, I won't list the URL - also because I don't like having all sorts of ad windows pop up when I visit a site like this one does. But "Hamster Blast" is still a fun page, and you can find it with a simple Yahoo! search. But I digress.) Anyone who would base a dance song off of a freaking dancing hamster page ... whoops, sorry, getting a little passionate here about a stupid little pop song.

Radio Disney Jams Vol. 3 is really a disc aimed for slightly older kids, though I think my four-year-old will enjoy it as well... that is, if she's ever able to get the disc away from Daddy.

Rating: B+

User Rating: Not Yet Rated


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© 2001 Christopher Thelen and The Daily Vault. All rights reserved. Review or any portion may not be reproduced without written permission. Cover art is the intellectual property of Walt Disney Records, and is used for informational purposes only.