WWE The Music
A New Day, Vol. 10
Review
David Stephens of WrestleView.com
The WWE’s latest compilation album of theme songs was released on January 28th 2010. All tracks on the album were written by longtime WWE music guru, James A. Johnston. He also serves as the producer for the project under the WWE Music Group label. Currently, the album is available on Amazon.com for the price of $8.99 for a CD, or $7.99 for a MP3 download.
This article is going to review the CD, while keeping in mind its purpose. The grading scale for each song is going to be from 1 ? 5. An example of a ?5? would be Hulk Hogan’s ?Real American?. A ?1? would be Paul London’s theme ?Rocker?. The songs are being reviewed not just for their merit as a musical pleasure, but for their value to the wrestler they are supposed to represent.
Track 1 ?It’s A New Day? ? Legacy
ft. Adelitas Way, Runtime 3:04
This song serves as the ?title track? of the album. It represents two young talents that are set to take the WWE by storm. Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase have served and trained under Randy Orton, and they look ready to break out on their own. This theme is a fair representation of their quest to bring a ?new day? to the WWE. With lyrics that include, ?we?ll never look back?, ?we?re a new generation?, and ?it’s our legacy?; this theme hits the mark dead on. If the song has any cons, it is the lack of a bold intro. Aside from a guitar riff, there is little to make the audience rise from their seats. The song would feel at home as background on a video game.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Track 2 ?I Am Perfection? ? Dolph Ziggler
ft. Cage 9, Runtime 3:19
The track cockily starts off with the mantra, ?I am perfection?. This is the kind of bold start that was missing from Legacy’s, ?It’s a New Day?. Dolph Ziggler has been built up as a bleached blonde character with a perfect body and beautiful girlfriend. The singer has a strong voice, though at times lacking emotion. It is hard to believe that the singer is as confident in his perfection as Dolph Ziggler’s aura would require.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Track 3 ?I Came to Play? ? The Miz
ft. Downstait, Runtime 4:57
When the Miz was ?rehired? on RAW, it was time to reintroduce his character and this theme was key. The song certainly has a certain star quality, which is necessary in establishing the wrestler’s character. A lot of wrestling songs are very repetitive, which is a result of needing a chorus that can ring through an arena to herald an entrance and victory. This song however, is just too repetitive and fails to establish much of a story. There is only so long that a listener can here the phrase ?I came to play? before they start puzzling what game they are even playing in the first place. Outside of the wrestling industry it would fail to garner much notice due its cookie cutter nature.
Rating: 2 out of 5
Track 4 ?Just Close Your Eyes? ? Christian
ft. Story of the Year, Runtime 4:31
One of the better tracks on the album by far. This is essentially an updated version of Christian’s previous WWE theme. All of the elements for success are present. The soaring qualities of the instruments support Christian’s status as a champion. Believability is key, and the song riles the audience into a state of support for Christian the second it hits the audio dials. This song also is one of the few wrestling theme songs which could potentially stand on its own legs outside of the business.
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Track 5 ?Return the Hitman? ? Bret Hart
ft. Jim Johnston, Runtime 5:37
The logic for including this track on the album is questionable. This song has essentially been released multiple times by the WWE. There are some changes in instrumentation, but the differences are not very noticeable upon first listen. Once a back to back comparison is made, the changes become far more apparent. The digital overlays of enhanced guitars and beats really add a prestigious tone to one of the ?classic? themes in wrestling history. A song without lyrics, but that does not make it a negative. In fact, it allows the listener to find the expression in the song that best represents their own feelings. Perhaps it was included in an effort to boost sales, but it seems out of place on an album dominated by young and upcoming talent. Nevertheless, an ?oldie, but a goodie?.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Track 6 ?Written In My Face? ? Sheamus
ft. Sean Jenness, Runtime 3:33
A lofty theme, that falls flat when it needs to soar. The chorus of the song is very well composed, but the verses, bridges and fills, lack its quality. It seems as though there was an attempt to make it a Celtic inspired number, but halfway to Ireland the plane turned around and never found a good place to land. This song does not give justice to the fact that Sheamus is the current WWE Champion. A decent piece, which falls short of its needed service.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Track 7 ?Insatiable? ? Tiffany
ft. Patsy Grime, Runtime 3:10
A contender for worst song on the album. Keeping in mind that the lyrics are supposed to represent the wrestler, this one is mind boggling. The entire theme of the song is about the performer being insatiable and needing a boy. Something that the lyrics seem to tell the listener a 100 times during its duration. Aside from its lack of appropriateness for Tiffany’s character, the song its self is a very poor production. The constant auto-tuning is at first a nice flourish, but is awful when it alters the singers voice in her lower register. The song is catchy, but not in a good way. The lyrics may claim that, ?I Can?t Get Enough?, but most listeners have their lifetime fill after 30 seconds.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
Track 8 ?Domination? ? Ezekiel Jackson
ft. Evan Jones, Runtime4:17
Jackson’s theme has a hip hop vibe which provide a nice background. The lyrics are key to understanding the emerging Ezekiel Jackson. They tell the story of a man ready to stop acting timid, and start acting amazing. It is perfectly fitting for a wrestler such as Jackson who is just beginning to break out. It lacks a bold intro, and its longevity is questionable. Ezekiel Jackson is being built up as a monster, and it would be more beneficial if he had a song that portrays him as such. This theme is almost too inviting for his persona.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
Track 9 ?Born to Win? ? Evan Bourne
ft. Mutiny Within, Runtime 4:17
A lot of credit goes to the producers for the technological tricks they employ in this particular track. It takes full advantage of stereo lines giving the listener a sense of Bourne flying all around you at the speed of light. This song includes the necessary adrenaline pounding beats for Bourne to run his way down to the ring, and up the turnbuckle. The lyrics are equally as fitting, ‘some are born to fight, I was born to win?. This theme definitely announces to the audience that it is Evan Bourne about to emerge on the entrance ramp, and as a backdrop, it is hard not to get caught up in the energy.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Track 10 ?Oh Puerto Rico? ? Primo
ft. Vinny & Ray and Marlyn Jimenez, Runtime 3:32
This song would be far more fitting in a club than in an arena. Almost nothing in it seems to work as a theme. It is a case of trying too hard to fit a certain music style. The vibe is actually quite obnoxious when considered in the context of what it is supposed to accomplish for a wrestler. This could not make Primo seem anymore unthreatening unless he strolled to the ring with a basket of daisies.
Rating: 1 out of 5
Track 11 ?Radio? ? Zack Ryder
ft. Watt White, Runtime 4:02
This is the song that is quite possibly 90% of the reason Zack Ryder has been able to get over. In fact, it actually has a bit of a cult following. Many were looking forward to its release, but once it is dissected it does begin to lose some of its hailed luster. The attention it has given Ryder cannot be discredited. That being said, the lyrics are plain awful. But, in a way, they are supposed to be. They fit in with the cocky, egotistical, long island ?bro? character that Ryder has chosen to represent. Outside of the industry this song would never have even see the light of day. Yet, that’s the beauty of the wrestling business. The song accomplishes what it should for its wrestler, which is not always an easy task.
Rating: 3 out of 5
Track 12 ?New Foundation? ? The Hart Dynasty
ft. Jimi Bell, Runtime 3:32
This track falls far short of the Hart track at the beginning of the album. This comes across as a poor remix, while ?Return of the Hitman? possess all the glory it should have. As a listener it would seem more appropriate to give that theme to the Hart Dynasty and scrap this one which is merely a knockoff.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
Track 13 ?You Can Look (But You Can?t Touch)? ? The Bella Twins
ft. Kim Sozzi, Runtime 3:47
Some of the same elements that made Tiffany’s theme fail, are exactly what helps this one to succeed. The Bella Twins are not general managers, they are being presented as ?hot twins?. The concept of you can look, but you can?t touch (which to be fair, has received a lot of notoriety in its usage by Velvet Sky & The Beautiful People) works in principle for these two. That being said, the song itself is not on the level of the album’s strongest songs. Perhaps less attention is given to Diva themes, but this could use a lot of work. This song is not just ?pop?, it is ?flat soda pop?.
Rating: 1.5 out of 5
Track 14 ?Crank the Walls Down? ? Chris Jericho & The Big Show
ft. Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, Runtime 3:07
It goes without saying that this song is a thousand times better than the first attempt to mash the themes of these two wrestlers together. Outside of the industry this song would seem absolutely ridiculous, which might just be why it works so well. For what it is, the producers could not have done much better. The songs acoustically meld seamlessly into each other, which just adds to the power of the tag team. The Big Show and Jericho both have themes which have the all important bold introductions. This theme performs a masterful job of molding them together at the start, and it does not let up until the end.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Album Review
Absurd lyrics? Check. Adrenaline pounding beats? Check. An amount of ridiculousness deserving of a professional wrestling CD? Absolutely. This particular WWE CD is not a must have, but for those that are fans of WWE themes they will not be disappointed. The album is great for background music during a workout, or accompanying the listener during their daily chores. Few if any tracks will cause singing out loud, but every now and then the tendency to ?Just Close Your Eyes?, and blast the ?Radio?, may emerge.
Album Rating: 2.8 out of 5 (based on track averages)
– David Stephens
ECW Recapper
Author of ?That’s a Wrap? &
?WrestleView Road Trip?
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