Society always celebrates the records that top the Billboard 200 album chart. Back of The Billboards is a Music Times weekly segment that looks at the opposite end: the new record that finished closest to the back of the Billboard 200 for the previous week. We hope to give a fighting chance to the bands you haven't heard of. This week we look at Liv and Maddie, the soundtrack album for the Disney show of the same title.
Week of 03/20/2015
WHO: Dove Cameron and guests
WHAT: Liv and Maddie
SPOT: 180
We've seen plenty of soundtracks come through the Back of The Billboards segment, although most are from either Hollywood films or Broadway musicals. The Liv and Maddie soundtrack companion from the Disney sitcom of the same title provides an entirely new challenge for your correspondent, a twenthy-something who doesn't usually watch too much teen television.
There's hope.
Dove Cameron, the actress who plays both twins Liv and Maddie Rooney, certainly has the chops to carry a tune (something we've come to expect from Disney talent...see everyone from Justin Timberlake to Ariana Grande). Although the series doesn't revolve around music, it's provided plenty of family-friendly, empowering numbers, such as "What A Girl Is" and the theme song "Better in Stereo" (we see what they did there). Several tracks get reprises, including three versions of "True Love," which features solo and duet versions involving fellow Disney roster member Jordan Fisher.
The writers of the music on Liv and Maddie might want to look to Timberlake and Grande on how to adopt newer trends to the screen however. The most disappointing track is certainly "Froyo YOLO," an awkward hip-hop attempt that had all the conceptual potential in the world, while "Say Hey" tries to describe bass-dropping without involving EDM at all.
Don't take our word for it. If you're from the audience who enjoys Liv and Maddie, you already know what to expect.
