I wonder if artists like Blink-182 and Bon Jovi regret allowing a trio of rodents sing their music. Surprisingly Alvin and the Chipmunks’ latest album Undeniable gives a rousing children-friendly version of several classics and introduces four original tracks. It’s nice to see a childhood staple still maintain its relevance for the children of today, especially since it’s the Chipmunks’ first new non-soundtrack album in over 15 years.
After releasing a successful movie last year, the Chipmunks are back with another eclectic mix of different genres. The Chipmunks still have a great harmony that they’ve always had since the late 50s and although some songs on the album can get dogs to roll in pain from the high pitch, Alvin is never off key. The arrangements are spot on and the harmonies are correctly placed. One can see the care that the producers went to maintain the Chipmunk standard.
The cover songs on this album are child-friendly renditions. The Journey classic, “Don’t Stop Believing” playfully replaces the word “wine” with “fur.” The standout cover song has to be “Livin’ on a Prayer” because it starts with a strong acoustic harmony and by the crescendo Alvin is pulling off riffs and vocal runs that weren’t in the original.
There are thankfully only four original tracks on Undeniable: “Thank You,” “Acceptance,” “Ho Ho Ho,” and “Undeniable.” The two songs “Thank You” and “Undeniable” attempt pop sounds, the former harkens to Jordin Sparks or Ne-Yo and the latter more like the Backstreet Boys or Britney Spears. Both of them are obvious tracks that a big named singer would pass on because of the lack of lyrical originality.
I have a big problem with “Ho Ho Ho.” Although the song gets some credit for mentioning Hanukkah, it ends up being a song inadvertently laced with double entendre and a negative view on Dave. Not only does the song mention the chipmunks “…giving Dave headaches” (when I didn’t hear the word "aches" the first time around) but Theodore says “Just quit your whining and Suck It up! That’s what you said Dave.”
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