Josie and the Pussycats [Original Soundtrack]

1	3 Small Words / Josie & the Pussycats 2:53
2	Pretend to Be Nice / Josie & the Pussycats 3:50
3	Spin Around / Josie & the Pussycats 3:17
4	You Don't See Me / Josie & the Pussycats 3:43
5	You're a Star / Josie & the Pussycats 2:06
6	Shapeshifter / Josie & the Pussycats 3:01
7	I Wish You Well / Josie & the Pussycats 2:54
8	Real Wild Child / Josie & the Pussycats 1:51
9	Come On / Josie & the Pussycats 3:13
10	Money (That's What I Want) / Josie & the Pussycats 2:28
11	Dujour Around the World / Ralph Dujour 2:56
12	Backdoor Lover / Ralph Dujour 3:40
13	Josie and the Pussycats / Josie & the Pussycats 1:43

Barnes & Noble

Rachel Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, and Rosario Dawson may play the title characters in the live-action version of the popular '70s cartoon Josie and the Pussycats, but music supervisor Tracey Edmonds and executive producer Babyface, utilized both established artists and studio musicians to create this hook-laden soundtrack. With former Letters to Cleo frontwoman Kay Hanley providing the voice of Josie, original songs such as "Small Words," "Shapeshifter," and "Pretend to Be Nice" are transformed into spitfire punk-pop tracks that recall Belly and Veruca Salt. To add to the characters' rock-star cachet, several of Josie and the Pussycats' songs were written by rock notables such as Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's, Adam Duritz of Counting Crows, and Matthew Sweet. Rounding out these original cuts are rocked-out covers of Johnny O'Keefe's rockabilly classic "Real Wild Child," Barrett Strong's Motown staple "Money (That's What I Want)," and the cartoon's self-titled theme song. The only non-Josie cuts are by DuJour, a fictional male vocal group whose contrived R&B harmonies, new jack beats, and inane lyrics make "DuJour Around the World" ("Nobody rocks the mic like DuJour/Ride on your motorbike with DuJour") and "Backdoor Lover" ("This kind of love is wrong/But it feels so right") sound like rejects from a Backstreet Boys recording session. With its comical mix of tongue-in-cheek, lite punk, and cheesy R&B, this batch of ear candy crackles like a bag of Pop Rocks. Dave Gil de Rubio

All Music Guide

The original soundtrack to Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont's live-action, big-screen adaptation of Archie Comics' Josie & the Pussycats brings together the talents of, among others, Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go's, Letters to Cleo's Kay Hanley, and the production team of Babyface and his wife, Tracey Edmonds. Hanley provides the voice of Josie (played by Rachael Leigh Cook) on the Pussycats' ten songs, which include chugging, slightly punky power pop tunes like "3 Small Words" and "Spin Around." Meanwhile, Babyface's quintessentially smooth, polished sound comes to the front on "Backdoor Lover" and "Dujour Around the World," both by Du Jour, the film's boy band and the Pussycats' main competition for airplay on the radio and MTV. Impressively -- though not really surprisingly, considering the talent involved -- the soundtrack manages to pull off both the Pussycats' bouncy rock and Du Jour's pre-fab pop with equal amounts of authenticity and humor, making it the perfect complement to the film's witty and affectionate update of one of the cartoon world's first girl groups. Heather Phares