Disney's Shake It Up: Break It Down Soundtrack

A host of Disney Channel music stars occupy the soundtrack to Shake It Up, including such well-known names as Selena Gomez, Anna Margaret, Drew Seeley, and Chris Trousdale. As with all Disney Channel soundtracks, most of the songs on Shake It Up: Break It Down were penned by their huge stable of songwriters, including Jeannie Lurie, Aris Archontis, Chen Neeman, Ali Dee Theodore, Ben Charles, Aaron Harmon, and Jim Wes.

The first single to be released from Shake It Up: Break It Down was “Shake It Up,” performed by Selena Gomez, and written and produced by the songwriting team of Jeanne Lurie, Aris Archontis and Chen Neeman. The song, made especially for the show, was released on iTunes and other music outlets on February 15, 2011, three months after Shake It Up premiered.

The seemingly innocent and inane series was not without controversy, however. Former Disney stable star Demi Lovato strongly objected to a line from the episode “Party It Up” that jokingly suggested a character had an eating disorder. Demi Lovato's eating disorder issues led her to leave the Disney company not too long before, and stated that dialogue like that should not be a part of a children’s show. The Disney Channel subsequently removed the “Party It Up” episode from future reairings, while Netflix and iTunes removed the episode from their virtual shelves, as well.

Album opener and title song “Shake It Up” is performed by Disney star Selena Gomez in a style that sounds very much like something off of Britney Spears’ latest album Femme Fatale, while country music singer Margaret Durante performs “Breakout” in a sort of updated Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam sound (remember “Head to Toe”?). Singer Chris Trousdale, who appeared in an episode of Shake It Up, performs “Not Too Young” using a super autotuned vocal approach, and up-and-coming singer/songwriter Kyra Christiaan sings “School’s Out” as overdriven keyboards propel the club beat sound.

Margaret Durante sings “Watch Me,” another tune fit for the dance club; while soundtrack veteran Alana de Fonseca performs “All the Way Up,” an electro pop tune she co-wrote with Ali Dee Theodore, Sarai Howard, and Jason Gleed, in a style similar to Nicki Minaj’s rapping singing approach. Prolific songwriter (Hannah Montana, Selena Gomez, Jonas Brothers, Willow Smith) and former Varsity Fanclub member Drew Ryan Scott sings the Usher style upbeat pop song “We Right Here,” a tune he co-wrote with Dapo Torimiro.

Disney stars Adam Hicks (Zeke and Luther, Lemonade Mouth) and Drew Seeley (High School Musical, Jump In!) perform the boomin’ 808 tune “Dance for Life,” featuring a rap by Hicks and vocals by Seeley, while Tim James jams the electro salsa dance song “Twist My Hips." Annie Vincent performs “Roll the Dice”, a Pink-like rock pop tune featuring autotuned vocals; while Geraldo Sandell and Ricky Luna sing “Just Wanna Dance”, a song similar in style to Enrique Iglesias or Ricky Martin.

Turkish pop star Sibel Redzep delivers the pumping electro pop tune “Our Generation,” Disney star Anna Margaret (StarStruck, Maggie All Pop Star!) sings another Britney Spears-inspired dance tune “All Electric,” and Shake It Up star Bella Thorne sings the driving dance floor jam “Watch Me.” Two extra tracks available for download include the Amazon exclusive track “It’s Alive” by Nayana Holley, and the iTunes exclusive track “Bling Bling” by Windy Wagner.

The Verdict

The Shake It Up: Break It Down soundtrack is another in the Disney Channel’s long line of music releases in their relentless pursuit of the next High School Musical, Camp Rock, Hannah Montana, or Jonas Brothers phenom. When it comes down to it, Shake It Up: Break It Down will be a big hit with fans of the show or with Disney music completists. The album offers no new sounds or standout tracks, and may wear a little on the ears if listened to from beginning to end, but is a pleasantly run of the mill tween pop compilation. For more information about Shake It Up: Break It Down soundtrack, or to hear samples of songs on Shake It Up: Break It Down, visit the Disney Music website.

Released July 12, 2011; Walt Disney Records

1. "Shake It Up" - Selena Gomez
2. "Breakout" - Margaret Durante
3. "Not Too Young" - Chris Trousdale & Nevermind
4. "School's Out" - Kyra Chistiaan
5. "Watch Me" - Margaret Durante
6. "All The Way Up" - Alana De Fonseca
7. "We Right Here" - Drew Ryan Scott
8. "Dance For Life" - Adam Hicks & Drew Seeley
9. "Twist My Hips" - Tim James & Nevermind
10. "Roll The Dice" - Annie Vincent
11. "Just Wanna Dance" - Geraldo Sandell & Ricky Luna
12. "Our Generation" - Sibel Redzep
13. "All Electric" - Anna Margaret & Nevermind
14. "Watch Me" - Bella Thorne & Zendaya
15. "It's Alive" - Nayana Holley
16. "Bling Bling" - Windy Wagner