Coach Carter Soundtrack CD

Twista&Faith Evans/Fabolous/ Chingy/Game/Ciara/Kanye West/

Composer: Trevor Rabin.
Personnel: Ryan Stoutenborough (guitar); Keith Mangels (bass guitar); French (programming); DJ Judge Mental (scratches); Canela Cox, LaKiesha Miles (background vocals).
Audio Mixers: Claudio Cueni; Neil Pogue; Kevin "KD" Davis; Manny Marroquin; James Porte; Corner Boyz; Segal; Duro; Jean-Marie Horvat; Leslie Brathwaite; Brian Garten; Carl Nappa.
Recording information: BWS Studios, Compton, CA; Cherokee Studios, Hollywood, CA; Derrty Ent. Studios, St. Louis, MO; deuCCe Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Full Deck Studios, St. Louis, MO; Ghost Manor Studios, NJ; Groundbreaking Studios, Atlanta, GA; JukeJoint, Los Angeles, CA; Larrabee North Studios; Larrabee Sound Studios, CA; LOC Down Studios, Cincinnati, OH; Mouth Of Babes; Red Zone Studios, Atlanta, GA; Right Track Studios, NY; Songbook Studios, Teaneck, NJ; Stankonia Studios, Atlanta, GA; The Saltmine, AZ; Trak Meet Studios, St. Louis, MO; United Technique Studios, Chicago, IL.
The soundtrack to Coach Carter, a drama starring Samuel L. Jackson as the hard-line coach of a high-school basketball team, is much like that of many other soundtracks for major movies released since the early '90s. The track list reads like a mix of up-and-coming artists, big names dusting off B-quality material, and a handful of tracks that no one recalls hearing in the movie. (In fact, just over a third of the songs on this disc have nothing to do with the movie at all, apart from stylistic kinship with what does appear.) Many of the selections for artists included are very timely, since the likes of Ciara, Kanye West, Fabolous, Twista, and Chingy were all incredibly popular at the time of the movie's early-2005 release. By no means is the disc a throwaway -- Red Café's "All Night Long," the Game's "Southside," Ciara's "Roll Wit U" (if nowhere near as brilliant as "Goodies" or "1, 2 Step"), and West's over-a-year-old "Wouldn't You Like to Ride" (originally heard on a 2003 release from collaborator Malik Yusef) are significant standouts -- but a number of other tracks will resonate only with those who can place them in the context of the movie. Strange: Ashanti, who plays pregnant girlfriend number one in the movie and released a new album in late 2004, does not kick in with a contribution. ~ Andy Kellman
COACH CARTER, starring the perennially magnificent Samuel L. Jackson in the title role, was released in the midst of a slew of athletes-overcoming-the-odds movies during the early 2000s (REMEMBER THE TITANS, MIRACLE, FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS). As the most street-oriented entry in the genre, COACH CARTER features a soundtrack that boasts a bevy of hip-hop luminaries rapping both hard and playful, along with a few R&B crooners to lighten the mood.
COACH CARTER basks in the subject of basketball, and an overwhelming portion of the action and tension in the movie takes place on the courts. The album echoes this adoration of the sport; on its first four tracks Red Cafe, Fabolous, Chingy, and the Game each throw in knowing references to basketball, its teams, and its celebrities. An all-star line-up including Kanye West and Common graces the flavorful "Wouldn't You Like to Ride," while Ciara and Van Hunt slow down the pace with the soulful numbers "Roll Wit' You" and "Your Love (Is the Greatest Drug I've Ever Known)," respectively. For fans of hip-hop, R&B, and basketball, the COACH CARTER soundtrack is a sure thing.

Uncut (p.114) - 4 stars out of 5 - "Hoop dreams highlighted by a hip hop/R&B selection which is solid and sussed; all-new cuts from fast-rising names....Jam-full of goodies."