CD Review: Dreamgirls Soundtrack

As the fictional musical trio The Dreams (played by Beyonce Knowles, Jennifer Hudson and Anika Noni Rose) sing in the title song of the smash hit and instant classic Dreamgirls..."Dreamgirls will never leave you." And they are right. Even after you leave the theatre, the music of the film adaptation of the 80's Broadway hit will stick with you like an old familiar friend.

Typically, a movie soundtrack will either pale in comparison to a film or turn out to be the only bright spot in a movie. Rarely, do a film and its soundtrack both complement and enhance one another, yet have the ability to stand alone, separate from one another. The Dreamgirls Soundtrack manages to accomplish this feat.

Released in early December, the Dreamgirls Soundtrack has worked its way to the top of the charts. In addition to knockout performances by Hudson and Knowles, the album also includes numbers by Eddie Murphy, Jamie Foxx and features newcomers Keith Robinson and Sharon Leal on several songs.

The first question everyone who asks about Dreamgirls, both the movie and the soundtrack, asks is "can she do it?" Dreamgirls is known, primarily for one song. The song. So can she do it? And the answer is YES SHE CAN! Dreamgirl Jennifer Hudson's rendition of the Jennifer Holliday classic "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going" is phenomenal. The song has been gaining air play and has generated numerous standing ovations in the theatres. Jennifer Hudson does not imitate Holliday's version. She makes it her own. The pure, raw emotion that Hudson captures on the screen is just as prevalent on the CD.