The soundtrack to Disney's Aladdin features another first-rate score by composer
Alan Menken and lyricists
Howard Ashman and
Tim Rice, who helped
Menken complete the score when
Ashman died before it was finished. The film's hit single "A Whole New World" and
Robin Williams' bravura performance as the magic lamp on songs such as "Friend Like Me" and "Prince Ali" are justifiably credited as the album's highlights. Aladdin's score is consistently good, rivaling the best of Disney's other animated musicals from the '90s. The manic "One Jump" and "Arabian Nights" (which was later re-recorded to remove lyrics potentially offensive to Arabs) are cut from the cloth of classic Broadway show tunes, while
Menken's instrumental cues range from the sweetly cartoonish "To Be Free" to the romantic "Kiss" to the ominous "Jafar's Hour" and "On a Dark Night." While it's not quite as brilliant as the music from The Little Mermaid or Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin is still a fine soundtrack and an auspicious debut for
Menken and
Rice's collaboration. ~ Heather Phares