Track Listing

1. Mona Lisa Smile - Seal
2. You Belong To Me - Tori Amos
3. Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered - Celine Dion
4. The Heart Of Every Girl - Elton John
5. Santa Baby - Macy Gray
6. Murder, He Says - Tori Amos
7. Beseme Mucho - Chris Isaak
8. Secret Love - Mandy Moore
9. What'll I Do - Alison Krauss
10. Istanbul (Not Constantinople) - Trevor Horn Orchestra
11. Sh Boom - Trevor Horn Orchestra
12. I'm Beginning To See The Light - Kelly Rowland
13. I've Got The World On A String - Lisa Stansfield
14. Smile - Barbra Streisand

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #51422 in Music
• Brand: Sony
• Released on: 2003-11-21
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Soundtrack
• Original language: English, Italian

Album Details
Includes the Bonus Track "Suite" by Rachel Portman

Customer Reviews

Strolling Down Memory Lane
If you enjoyed the movie, you'll absolutely enjoy this soundtrack. Listening to Seal's "Mona Lisa" reminds me of Nat King Cole. Tori Amos' superb rendition of "You Belong To Me" reminds me of Jo Stafford's version with its intro, it's typical '40s style of singing. Mandy Moore's "Secret Love" reminds me of Doris Day's version. The same with Alison Krauss' interpretation of "What'll I Do?" which reminds me of Patti Page's version. It's definitely contemporary artists trying to sound like the singers of yesteryears and they perfectly succeeded. A friend of mine once asked me why I know a lot of songs and singers of yesteryears and why I like them? My short answer was, "reincarnation of somebody who lived in that era!" No, seriously, from my parents' collection of albums. I belong to a musically-inclined family and grew up listening to countless albums of different genre. I learned to appreciate the standards at an early age. I remember whenever my father brought home new records, I was always excited to listen and read the back covers for the track listings, titles, composers, lyricists and notes about the recordings. Records then came in different sizes and colors... 33s and 78s, the singles were 45s, black vinyls and sometimes red or orange.

The tracks that really stand out and my favorites are "You Belong To Me," "What'll I Do," "Secret Love," "Mona Lisa," Lisa Stansfield's "I've Got The World On A String," Chris Isaak's "Besame Mucho," Kelly Rowland's "I'm Beginning To See The Light" and The Trevor Horn Orchestra's "Sh Boom" (Life Could Be A Dream). Barbra Streisand, Elton John and Celine Dion are the more seasoned performers in the group covering "Smile," "The Heart Of Every Girl" and "Bewitched" respectively.

This will be a wonderful addition to your collection of motion picture soundtracks. Highly recommended!

Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters
This soundtrack is a very classy collection of standards, without a single clunker. It also has the added bonus of an outstanding new song. "The Heart Of Every Girl" is one of the most romantic songs ever written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin. The arrangement, featuring lush strings and brass, perfectly compliments Elton's piano. Elton's voice has deepened with time, and his singing and piano playing have never sounded stronger or more assured.

The musical arrangement and Seal's vocals on the song "Mona Lisa" sound so similar to Nat King Cole's original that its scary. Chris Isaak croons a passionate rendition of "Besame Mucho," making this cheesy standard sound sophisticated. Tori Amos particularly impressed me, turning in two great performances. Her vocals on the ballad "You Belong To Me" are perfectly understated, while she playfully sings the bouncy "Murder He Says." After listening to this soundtrack, I would urge Tori Amos to record a whole album of standards.

As a concept album, this soundtrack's excellent.
When I first heard this in the bookstore where I work, I didn't know that Seal was the person singing the first track on the album, "Mona Lisa." I thought it was Nat King Cole because, as an act of impression or as a tribute, Seal's voice is amazingly like Cole's on the track.

Looking at the rest of the album and seeing that it allowed several modern musicians an opportunity to channel singers from the 1950's, I was impressed at how dead-on a lot of the songs were.

Tori Amos' "Murder, He Says," originally performed by Betty Hutton in one of the old MGM musicals, is an amusing, catchy tune. Celine Dion manages, with "Bewitched," to remind me of how talented she is - though her solo albums are frequently overproduced, tacky and annoying. Kelly Rowland and Mandy Moore offer up stunning, period-evoking covers of "I'm Beginning to See the Light" and "Secret Love," respectively. Chris Isaak's "Besame Mucho" is lush and romantic. And Macy Gray's "Santa Baby" catches the right mood, echoing sensuality and good humor.

I've recommended this to all sorts of people. With the flux of swing-revival albums coming out lately, from Rod Stewart's to Cyndi Lauper's, the soundtrack to "Mona Lisa Smile" deserves special attention. It's spectacular.