Scooby-Doo

While the Scooby Doo cartoons of the early 1970s were often campy and implausible, they were always jokingly scary--and lots of fun. Likewise, the soundtrack to the live-action Scooby-Doo continues this spirit of lightweight fright. Outkast furiously rhyme atop eerie sound effects and thumping breakneck beats and Busta Rhymes and Uncle Kracker rap about creepy creatures above a herky-jerky bass line. Elsewhere, Allstars contribute a pulsating dancefloor homage to night noises and The Atomic Fireballs growl a swing-dance about voodoo, replete with pounding drums and peppery horns. The album does have truly scary patches of mediocrity--an anaemic Destiny's Child imitation by Beyonce's younger sister Solange, Little T and One Track Mike's lame-lyrical ode to love, and Shaggy's laid-back but boring remix of the cartoon's theme (upstaged mightily by MxPx's livelier punk version). Yet, like the antics of the irresistible animated canine and his mystery-solving posse, Scooby-Doo's unabashed silliness and cheeky merriment is colourful and highly enjoyable escapism. Kick back with a box of Scooby Snacks and enjoy the similarly sugary fluffiness of this soundtrack--you won't be disappointed. Zoinks!--Annie Zaleski