Coyote Ugly Soundtrack CD

Personnel: Tim Pierce (guitar); Alan Pasqua (piano); Jamie Muhoberac (keyboards); Curt Bisquera, John "J.R." Robinson (drums); Nikki Harris, Sue Ann Carwell (background vocals).
Audio Mixer: Steve MacMillan.
Audio Remixers: Chris Cox; Barry Harris Trio .
Recording information: Interhit Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Royal tone Studios; SARM West Coast.
Much like the film itself, the soundtrack to the sexy-barmaids-with-hearts-of-gold dramedy Coyote Ugly is an incongruous mix of glitz, sleaze, and naïveté. The bar's surprisingly dated jukebox staples include Don Henley's "All She Wants to Do Is Dance," EMF's "Unbelievable," Snap!'s "The Power" and INXS' "Need You Tonight"; strangely enough, the album doesn't include Blondie's "One Way or Another," which plays a key role in helping struggling singer/songwriter Violet (Piper Perabo) overcome her stage fright. Violet's own songs -- as penned by Diane Warren and performed by LeAnn Rimes -- have a more contemporary feel, borrowing the personas of a wide variety of young female artists. As Violet emerges from her shell, her songs evolve from the demure, Jewel-esque love song "But I Do Love You" to "The Right Kind of Wrong" -- a sassy modern rock song à la Alanis Morissette -- to the positively Britney Spearsian power ballad "Can't Fight the Moonlight." Problem is, the soundtrack's original songs don't mix especially well with the better-known pop songs. However, this probably won't bother the film's, and album's, target audience; the soundtrack's jumbled yet enjoyable mix of pop clichés mirrors the feel of the film perfectly. ~ Heather Phares
COYOTE UGLY is a film based on the true-life experiences of a woman who worked at the Coyote Ugly bar in New York City, a nominally country-themed establishment where, apparently, model-like female bartenders dance suggestively on top of the bar. Consequently, much of the material on this soundtrack album is strip-club material, the kind of music that's conducive to unfettered rump-shaking and undulations with carnal implications.
To this end, COYOTE UGLY offers the dance-club chestnut "I've Got the Power" by Snap, Don Henley's '80s synth-rocker "All She Wants to Do is Dance," and EMF's rhythmically insistent "Unbelievable." In keeping with the (admittedly thin) country theme, there's also a brace of tunes by young country diva Leann Rimes, and even Charlie Daniels' '70s AM radio staple "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," which accompanies a hoedown the likes of which Mr. Daniels could have never imagined.