Various Artists - Newest Nicktoons (CD)

All Music Guide

As the title suggests, Nickelodeon's The Newest Nicktoons collects songs and themes from the kids' network's slate of cartoons at the time, some of which, such as Fairly Oddparents and Invader Zim, rival Cartoon Network originals like Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls in their witty writing, visual flair, and musical savvy. The Newest Nicktoons is nothing if not expansive, covering 12 cartoons and Nickelodeon bumper music over the course of 52 tracks. Chalk Zone, Hey Arnold, and Pelswick are just a few of the shows whose themes are collected here, along with the silly sea-shanty theme of Nick's hit SpongeBob SquarePants. Mark Mothersbaugh's extremely Devo-inspired theme for Nickelodeon Rocket Power, the swinging, lounge-influenced theme to Fairly Oddparents, and the relentless, industrial techno march of Invader Zim are chief among the album's highlights, but the shows represented by more than just their theme songs prove how rich in musical detail the Nicktoons are. CatDog r...anges from the pseudo-Western ballad theme song to doo wop numbers like "Doowop Diggety"; The Wild Thornberrys' music spans worldbeat, hip-hop, and alt-rock; As Told by Ginger has a cute, jangly theme, while "Courtney," the theme for the most popular girl at Ginger's middle school, is a dead-on parody of Destiny's Child-style contemporary RB. The collection stumbles, however, with the inclusion of 12 pieces of Nickelodeon's catchy to the point of annoying bumper music -- a little of which goes a long way -- and a heavy focus on Rugrats music, which seems a bit disproportionate considering that there are several album's worth of Rugrats songs available, and the show is hardly new at the time of this album's release. More incidental music from some of Nickelodeon's newer shows would've been nice, but overall The Newest Nicktoons is a fun, comprehensive compilation of cartoon music. - Heather Phares, All Music Guide Read more Less