Disney

Eight volumes in, and Radio Disney Jams is starting to grow up, even though a good portion of this collection still resides in the Neverland of Disney's own stable of pop talent. While Aly & AJ's "Do You Believe in Magic" and the Cheetah Girls' "Shake a Tail Feather" pretty much define Disney's clean-scrubbed, slightly bland teen pop, Hilary Duff's moody power ballad "Fly" and Jesse McCartney's kinda-cute "What's Your Name" -- which sounds like a junior version of Sugar Ray's reggae-fied pop -- show that the studio's artists are slowly becoming a little more musically interesting (while remaining immediate enough for most kids' attention spans). The collection also folds in some non-Disney pop, which makes for most of the album's highlights. Rihanna's baby-dancehall hit "Pon de Replay" sounds even more different and catchy in this context, while Akon's "Lonely" -- which uses a sped-up sample of Bobby Vinton's weepy 1964 hit "Mr. Lonely" as its hook -- sounds more than a little like a duet with Jiminy Cricket, and reflects the anything-goes aesthetic of pop production in the 2000s. Crazy Frog's "Axel F.," the ringtone that snowballed into a pop hit that ruled Europe's charts in summer 2005, boasts equally helium-laced vocals and remains as simultaneously annoying and satisfying as ever. Other highlights include the Click Five's "Pop Princess," which sounds like an adorably cartoony fusion of the Cars, Raspberries, and Strokes, and Avril Lavigne's "Sk8er Boi," which is practically a golden oldie by Radio Disney standards, still delivers plenty of giddy pop thrills. Also included as a bonus track is "That's Good," a sneak peek at Devo 2.0, Disney's all-kids Devo cover band; they end up being not as terrible as they sound on paper (it should go without saying that they're no threat to Devo 1.0). Slightly more creative and consistent than the other Radio Disney comps, Radio Disney Jams, Vol. 8 is also more entertaining for pop fans outside of Disney's usual demographic. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide