Dreamgirls: Deluxe Edition (2006)

Based on the 1980s Broadway musical, Bill Condon's 2006 feature film, DREAMGIRLS, follows the ups and downs of a fictional '60s female R&B vocal group patterned after the Supremes. Featuring an impressive cast that includes Beyonce Knowles, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, and AMERICAN IDOL favorite Jennifer Hudson, the movie and its soundtrack present stirring performances by these and other actors. While many of the numbers are sung by the Dreamettes (Knowles, Hudson, and Anika Noni Rose, who later become the Dreams and then Deena Jones & the Dreams), most notably the energetic, horn-laden "Move" and the pop-tinged title track, the album also offers up outstanding numbers by Eddie Murphy (as James "Thunder" Early), such as the lively, James Brown-like "I Meant You No Harm/Jimmy's Rap." Though most of the songs in DREAMGIRLS appear in the original production, the collection also showcases a set of new tunes, particularly the soulful "Love You I Do" by Hudson, and "Listen," a dramatic, defiant solo track by Beyonce. For fans of the film, the play, and/or any of the artists involved, DREAMGIRLS is sure to astound with its moving musical set-pieces and top-notch talent.