Moulin Rouge (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture)

iTunes Review

Moulin Rouge reinvented the movie musical as we know it, turning dusty old show tunes and bygone hits into hip new songs. David Bowie kisses new life into Eden Ahbez's 1947 hit, "Nature Boy," and hearing Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink and Lil' Kim redo Patti LaBelle's "Lady Marmalade" is just as epic a listening experience as their celluloid performance is visually. Even T. Rex's glitter rock anthem "Children of the Revolution" gets a glammy facelift courtesy of Bono, Gavin Friday, and Maurice Seezer. Conversely, Beck and Timbaland pull the platform boots off of Bowie's "Diamond Dogs," replacing them with fresh shell-toed Adidas — all the better to dance to this beat-laden, four-on-the-floor remake. With a hearty quiver of A-list pop stars in tow, one might think that the songs sung by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman would fall between the cracks, but hearing Kidman take on "Sparkling Diamonds" with a lusty fervor could make you never want to hear Carol Channing's version again. Likewise, McGregor's performance on "Your Song" proves that the man can sing as well as anyone on this soundtrack. And their endearing duet on "Elephant Love Medley" goes to show that chemistry is everything.