★★★★☆
Writer Ims Taylor weighs in on the brand-new Barbie soundtrack, which features the likes of Dua Lipa, Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and Sam Smith.How to soundtrack the most anticipated cinema event of the year… Well, what’s worked for the Barbie powers-that-be is to create a practical checklist of the brightest pop stars the music industry has at its disposal, enlist them, shove them into a Barbie world, and tell them to make something. In its own right, what’s come out is a glorious concept album and an effervescent, emotional ride through the pop canon. Lizzo leads the record with ‘Pink’, an opening number that humbly accepts the torch from Legally Blonde’s ‘Perfect Day’ for best opening-credits song. With her silky vocal performance and fluttering instrumental, Lizzo feels like a welcoming hug as we cross the threshold into Barbieland, coaxing us in with a smile – “come on, we got important things to do!” The other thing that’s immediately made evident for us in ‘Pink’ is that all the artists on this soundtrack have gone all-in. Lizzo is playful, earnest, and as silly as can be as she gives us the mantra: “P – pretty! I – intelligent! N – never sad! K – cool!” As we will be for the rest of the album, we’re absolutely immersed, albeit with the odd moment of ‘huh?’

Photo: Alex “Grizz” Loucas

Photo: David Dickenson