The soundtrack to the 2022 animated movie
Minions: The Rise of Gru
picks up on the vintage pop vibe of the first
Minions
film, moving from that original film's '60s milieu to the '70s setting of the sequel. However, where the first
movie featured original recordings by '60s acts like
the Kinks
and
Donovan
,
Rise of Gru
features classic '70s hits redone by contemporary artists. It's a fun concept that makes for some surprising, and surprisingly good, cover tunes, including
Thundercat
's groove-oriented reworking of
Steve Miller
's "Fly Like an Eagle,"
St. Vincent
's new wave-inspired take on
Lipps Inc
's "Funkytown," and
Phoebe Bridgers
' poignantly earnest version of
the Carpenters
' AM pop ballad "Goodbye to Love." Particularly compelling and highly unexpected is
Jackson Wang
's fervent reading of
Patrick Hernandez
's 1979 disco novelty "Born to Be Alive." There are also the titular little yellow creatures singing, represented here by a buoyant take on
Simon & Garfunkel
's "Cecilia." There's also at least one original in
Diana Ross
Tame Impala
's funky disco-soul anthem "Turn Up the Sunshine." As with the first
soundtrack (and the
Despicable Me
soundtracks before them), the soundtrack to
proves as much of a fun draw as the film itself. ~ Matt Collar