Music Review: DCappella

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: A cappella takes on Disney classics

Cons: A couple of tracks aren’t as good as the rest

The Bottom Line:

Magical music

That’s sung in a whole new way

Delightful and fun

The Magic of Voices

Over the last couple of years, I’ve bought a few a cappella releases from groups that specialize in covers of Disney songs.  So when I saw that Disney had created their own a cappella group, I had to get the self-title DCappella.

The disc is exactly what you’d expect.  It features twelve tracks of favorite Disney songs redone a cappella style.  The group itself is large, and one thing I love about these arrangements is that they often switch up soloists as the song goes on.  That creates a fun dynamic flow that is unlike anything I’ve heard before.

Most of the songs covered are from the more modern movies.  We’ve got “The World Es Mi Familia” and “Remember Me” from Coco, “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana, and a medley from Frozen, for example.  They do hit a couple of the renaissance movies from the 90’s, but only two of the tracks go back into Walt’s era with covers of “Step in Time” from Mary Poppins and “I Wan’na Be Like You” from The Jungle Book.

So many of these tracks are so fun.  “Friend Like Me” will have you tapping your toes in no time.  “I Wan’na Be Like You” is another upbeat hit.  Both songs from Coco are captured perfectly.  On the slower front, “When She Loved Me” from Toy Story 2 feels even more heartbreaking than the original, and Tarzan’s “You’ll be in My Heart” is still a powerful ballad.

There are a couple of tracks that had to grow on me.  “Immortals” is the only one I wasn’t already familiar with since I’m not a Big Hero 6 fan, but I am liking it more.  “Step in Time” is probably the oddest cover on here because of what they’ve done with the song.  It is almost like the song is coming through a surreal filter.  I’m still not completely sold on it, but I don’t hate it.

On the other hand, their medleys are inspired.  They combined “Let It Go” with “Do You Want to Build a Snowman?” from Frozen on one track, and another track features “Part of Your World” from The Little Mermaid combined with “A Whole New World” from Aladdin.  Both times, the songs weave in and out of each other, and the resulting combination is fantastic.  If you like the songs, you’ll love these combos.

Fan of Disney music definitely need to check out DCappella.  The songs here are fun covers of the originals we already know and love.

CD Length: 33:33

Tracks:

1. Tune Up

2. The World Es Mi Familia – Coco

3. Friend Like Me – Aladdin

4. How Far I’ll Go – Moana

5. Let it Go/Do You Want to Build a Snowman? – Frozen

6. I Wan’na Be Like You (The Monkey Song) – The Jungle Book

7. You’ll Be in My Heart – Tarzan

8. When She Loved Me – Toy Story 2

9. Trashin’ the Camp – Tarzan

10. Part of Your World/A Whole New World – The Little Mermaid/Aladdin

11. Step in Time – Mary Poppins

12. Immortals – Big Hero 6

13. Remember Me - Coco