A better than average Disney soundtrack,
Ice Princess features lots of aptly pretty, girly pop from the studio's performers as well as other artists. Though songs like Caleigh Peters' "Reach" and Emma Roberts' cute, 21st century bubblegum "If I Had It My Way" sound more or less like typical teen pop, this album is actually a little more eclectic than it appears at first.
Raven-Symoné's "Bump" has a very appealing,
Neptunes-lite production that adds some dancefloor appeal to the collection; Tina Sugandh's "There Is No Alternative" has Bollywood-like strings, lending it an exotic flair;
Natasha Bedingfield's "Unwritten" features a gospel choir; and
Lucy Woodward's "It's Oh So Quiet" is a pleasantly theatrical version of the standard that uses
Björk's version as its blueprint. The Disney artists' work is all over the map, ranging from
Aly & A.J.'s acoustic ballad "No One" to Hayden Panettiere's nice but nondescript "I Fly." Though
Ice Princess is dominated by young women, there's room for a few male vocalists, as
Jump5's "Just a Dream" and professional dreamboat
Jesse McCartney's "Get Your Shine On" demonstrate. Other standout tracks include
Michelle Branch's "You Set Me Free," a very sweet, well-crafted song with a little more personality and soul than the Disney approximations of this sound, and American Idol runner-up
Diana DeGarmo's "Reachin' for Heaven," a somewhat saccharine, over-produced track that nevertheless makes the most of her approachable, girl-next-door vocals.
Ice Princess is never less than sweet, and every now and then, it throws listeners a few slightly unexpected curves. ~ Heather Phares