Album Review: “Steven Universe: Soundtrack Volume 1”
A solid collection and hopefully the first of many.
The first volume of the Steven Universe soundtrack is an eclectic mix ranging from songs like “Comet” which feels like an excellent throwback to classic 80’s rock ballads, to smooth empowering numbers such as “Strong in a Real Way” and the iconic “Stronger Than You” by Estelle (who also voices Garnet on the show) but what surprised me the most is the use of chiptune music which is often displayed whenever the character DJ Sour Cream is performing music on the show and it’s possibly the first time in an animated series to ever implement it (Star Vs the Forces of Evil would later follow).
Most of the songs are often guilty of the frequent use of Ukuleles as exemplified with songs such as “Giant Woman”, “Peace and Love (On Planet Earth)” and “Be Wherever You Are” for the sake of maintaining it’s colorful hipster schtick but are thankfully short & charming in such a way that they don’t overstay their welcome. There was a slightly different version of a particular song compared to the show due to Olivia Olson’s rendition of “Haven’t You Noticed (I’m a Star)” which was quite a welcoming addition.
Series creator Rebecca Sugar who started out working for Adventure Time could never have predicted that her creation would reach this level of popularity but her heartfelt single “Love Like You” felt like a respectable send-off to end the Vol.1 album.
At the time of this review, a physical copy of the Vol.1 Soundtrack has not been released but the album can be digitally found on iTuness simply by clicking here.
My Final Verdict
Next to the more modern animated shows such as Adventure Time, Star Vs the Forces of Evil, Gravity Falls, Legend of Korra and RWBY, Steven Universe has always been on-par with those shows in terms of quality & emotional writing and the combined efforts of Rebecca’s writing and the voice cast’s musical talents further excels as this Vol.1 soundtrack captures the most memorable & iconic tunes of the past four seasons. I predict it’ll take several more seasons before we get a Vol.2 but I’m sure it’ll also be worth the wait.
SCORE
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