De-Lovely

1	It's De-Lovely / Robbie Williams 4:40
2	Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love) / Alanis Morissette 3:23
3	Begin the Beguine / Sheryl Crow 4:28
4	Let's Misbehave / Elvis Costello 2:34
5	Be a Clown / Peter Polycarpou and Chorus 2:55
6	Night and Day / John Barrowman 2:46
7	Easy to Love / Kevin Kline Bonus Track 2:50
8	True Love / Taylor Hamilton 2:10
9	What Is This Thing Called Love? / Lemar 2:37
10	I Love You / Mick Hucknall 2:07
11	Just One of Those Things / Diana Krall 3:17
12	Anything Goes / Caroline O'Connor and Chorus 2:02
13	Experiment / Kevin Kline 2:34
14	Love for Sale / Vivian Green 5:36
15	So in Love / Mario Frangoulis 3:31
16	Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye / Natalie Cole 3:45
17	Blow, Gabriel, Blow / Chorus 2:50
18	In the Still of the Night / Ashley Judd 2:32
19	You're the Top / Cole Porter 3:25

Barnes & Noble

It's no surprise that the soundtrack to De-Lovely, a film about the life and loves of legendary songwriter Cole Porter, is chock-full of his music. What is surprising is the diversity and depth of the performances, which span an array of contemporary musicians who also have cameos in the movie. Among the younger pop stars who transition smoothly into the pop standards mode are bad boy Robbie Williams, who gives a sophisticated reading of "It's De-Lovely," and alt-angst queen Alanis Morissette, whose rendition of "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" goes hand-in-glove with Stephen Endelman's frothy arrangement. Other notable performances include Elvis Costello's Dixieland-flavored "Let's Misbehave," Diana Krall's spry, piano-fueled trip through "Just One of Those Things," and a lush "I Love You" from Simply Red's Mick Hucknall, who sets aside his soul phrasing for a Maurice Chevalier turn. As impressive as contributions by pop-rocker Sheryl Crow, jazzy soul siren Natalie Cole, and neo-soul newcomer Vivian Green are, the film's stars also hold their own musically. Kevin Kline shines as Porter, coaching costar and fellow theater vet John Barrowman through a harmony-driven "Night and Day" before joining his leading lady, Ashley Judd, on a romantic rendering of "In the Still of the Night." The capper is a scratchy-sounding but nonetheless charming recording of Porter singing "You're the Top," which nicely wraps this gift of a soundtrack. Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

The soundtrack to De-Lovely -- a film that imagines the unusual love story and marriage of classic American songwriter Cole Porter (who was gay) and Linda Lee Porter as the kind of all-singing, all-dancing production for which Porter himself might have written the songs -- is a whirl of contrasting, and occasionally clashing, performances that tries to embody the many sides of Porter's music. Porter was able to write profoundly romantic love songs and whimsical, witty, devil-may-care tunes with equal conviction, and De-Lovely tends to polarize these aspects. Elvis Costello's "Let's Misbehave," Mick Hucknall's "I Love You," and the cast's rendition of "Be a Clown" and "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" are highly theatrical, and Costello's performance nearly crosses the line dividing playful and jokey. The set-piece quality of "Anything Goes" and the rehearsal-like "Night and Day" might disappoint some Porter fans looking for De-Lovely to double as a greatest-hits collection, but the stagy quality of the album emphasizes that it is first and foremost a soundtrack (to a musical production within the film, no less). It should come as no surprise, then, that the many pop, jazz, and rock star cameos have a costumey, dress-up feel, but a surprising number of them work well. "Begin the Beguine"'s silky melody combined with Sheryl Crow's husky voice makes for an appealing contrast, and Alanis Morissette's refined turn on "Let's Do It (Let's Fall in Love)" underscores the influence of Björk's vocal phrasing on Morissette's singing. Robbie Williams also cleans up well, contributing a version of the title track that winks just enough. Somewhat more surprising is the fact that De-Lovely's actors provide some of the soundtrack's best moments. Kevin Kline's considerable musical skills make him an apt Cole Porter, and Ashley Judd's girlish, unadorned vocals add some intimacy to De-Lovely's larger-than-life feel, especially on the sweet duet with Tayler Hamilton, "True Love." Other highlights include swell-egant renditions of "What Is This Thing Called Love?," "Love for Sale," and "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," by Lemar, Vivian Green, and Natalie Cole, respectively. Along with Diana Krall's "It Was Just One of Those Things" and Lara Fabian and Mario Frangoulis' "So in Love," these are performances by artists in their element, and they retain their own identities while fitting in with the rest of the soundtrack. De-Lovely is long and often scattered, but its attempts to breathe new life into Porter's work are admirable, even if they're not always successful. [A version of the soundtrack was released with the bonus track "Easy to Love."] Heather Phares