Faced with the drudgery of menial summer jobs, teens decide to give it their all on “Work This Out” (“We’ve faced tougher problems than this/… [Let’s] find a way to have fun while we get this job done”). “I Don’t Dance” prods an athlete to step outside of his comfort zone. Several songs convey the joy of young love, the value of friends and a passion for seizing the moment (“Everyday,” “You Are the Music in Me,” “All for One,” “What Time Is It”). A boy owns his mistakes and decides, “I wanna make it right … turn my life around/Today is the day” (“Bet On It”). A girl unsure that a relationship is healthy tries to let her boyfriend down easy as she steps away (“Gotta Go My Own Way”).
“Bet On It” humanistically believes the answers to life’s challenges “are all inside of me.” Out of context, Ashley Tisdale’s selfish, materialistic wish list on “Fabulous” may be viewed as a worthy goal. Starry-eyed romantics naively sing about following their hearts and living for the now (“Everyday”). A bonus cut refers to a mighty Hawaiian spirit.
Once again, Disney tosses young love, sports, peer pressure and a stage show into the teen-angst blender and hits frappé. The result is a relatively innocent, frothy pop treat with only minor issues for families.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
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