Fabulous CD for an equally great movie!
The soundtrack to L&B really enhances the coming-of-age feel of the movie. I was about the same age as the characters in the movie when the various songs came out, and experienced many of the same things as Monica and Q. (I actually remember "It Takes 2" playing at one of my 1st college parties!) Pretty much every song on the L&B soundtrack is on point, but my absolute favorites are: "I Like" (Guy); "I Want to Be Your Man" (Roger); "Fool of Me" (Meshell Ndegeocello); and "I'll Go" (Donell Jones). The Donell Jones track in particular always brings a smile to my face - I suppose I just associate it the completely uplifting ending of the movie (and that adorable little girl that played Monica and Q's daughter!)
There is so much good music in the movie that naturally, all of the songs couldn't make it to the CD. "This Woman's Work" (Maxwell)--the to-die-for track that played during Monica and Q's poignant "first time" love scene--is not on the L&B soundtrack album :-( Neither is "Making Love in the Rain," which features Janet Jackson (one of my favorite artists of all time). But, the reality is, not every song that plays in a movie can make in onto a sountrack album. In fact, the missing tracks had the effect of introducing me to a couple of new artists, and new music from artists I already knew, since I had to go hunt down the missing tracks! For example, I found out that the inspirational song that plays while Monica is training her heart out and improving at USC is called "Our Destiny," by Hinda Hicks. To respond to someone who previously asked (I think?), the song is available on a limited-edition EMI archive re-issue of her album "Everything to Me."
In many ways, L&B made many of the soundtrack songs iconic for me. I can't help but think of Monica and Q's touching and steamy love scenes when I hear "This Woman's Work" or "I Like" (respectively), and the final one-on-one game between the two when I listen to "Fool of Me." The latter, in particular, seems like it was made for that final scene. Also, I always remember exactly what I was feeling when those tracks played during the movie, i.e., getting misty-eyed during the 1st love scene and bawling like a baby at the end when Monica and Q embraced after their game ;-) If you liked the movie, you absolutely MUST cop the soundtrack. Even if you've never seen the movie (and you really should!), you should still pick this album up if you like good music and ol skool/nu skool jams. An asset to any CD collection.
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