Hairspray Iowa

Hairspray

Original Soundtrack

New Line, 2007

REVIEW BY: Jeff Clutterbuck

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: 08/21/2007

The following may mean I lose a man card, but here goes; I’m a guy, and I enjoy musicals.

Am I the kind of man who sleeps outside to get advance tickets of Rent? Hell no. However, more often than not, a musical is more entertaining to me than the crap released as "movies" nowadays.

The whole genre unfortunately has been in decline since its golden age, and musicals are much rarer. The last major film I can remember was

Chicago, a decent flick with a decent soundtrack. But while

Chicago may have had more critical acclaim, the music to Hairspray is infinitely more entertaining.

From the opening, Spector-esque beats of “Good Morning Baltimore,” you know this is going to be a series of songs that seek to capture the period. With the exception of Aimee Allen’s “Cooties,” every track has that early ’60s flavor, which makes Hairspray s a delightful series of pop confections that melt in your mouth.