Barnes & Noble
In the sequel to The Princess Diaries, the concept is simple: Mia, the newly crowned Genovian princess, must marry to claim her throne. If you recall, the lovely Anne Hathaway plays the geek-to-chic role with ease -- and the soundtrack to Royal Engagement is filled with girl power. "Miss Independent" herself, Kelly Clarkson, lends her American Idol star power and her single "Breakaway" to the mix, while the latest teen "It" girl, Lindsay Lohan, holds her own with the pop track "I Decide." Avril Lavigne keeps the party going with "I Always Get What I Want," while Pink spells "Trouble" wherever she goes. But the track not to be missed? Disney star Raven singing a duet with legendary performer Julie Andrews on "Your Crowning Glory." The song is more Broadway than Top 40, but we like it that way. And kudos to Raven, whose voice sounds primed for big things ahead.
All Music Guide
Suitably, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement sports a more grown-up, developed track listing than its predecessor. Like The Princess Diaries, this album boasts teen pop aplenty, but it's more distinctive and from bigger names: along with Disney regular Raven's "This Is My Time," songs like Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway," Lindsay Lohan's "I Decide," Avril Lavigne's "I Always Get What I Want," and Pink's "Trouble" instantly boost the album's star power. The album also makes stabs at sounding mature with Norah Jones' cover of "Love Me Tender" and the similarly smoky jazz-pop of Reneé Olstead's "A Love That Will Last" before retreating into the sickly sweetness of Raven and Julie Andrews' duet, "Your Crowning Glory," which reassures princesses of all ages that the right princes for them will find their hearts to be the most beautiful things about them. Musically, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement is bigger and marginally better than the previous film's soundtrack, but it still has some conflicting messages about girlhood and womanhood underneath its pop veneer. Heather Phares