Genre: Pop, Musical Theatre

Release Date: Jan. 10, 2020

Label: Walt Disney Records

Our Rating: B

The anticipated “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” was released in early November 2019. The show continued the legacy of the original movies and included a rather lengthy soundtrack. Many diehard fans were afraid the series would not do the original movies justice, and though there are a few songs that did not wow the crowd, there are definitely some that blew people’s expectations. It consists of 41 songs, including acoustic, piano and instrumental versions of the ones featured in the 10 episodes, as well as full-length original ballads and remastered bops from the originals.

“I really enjoyed the ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ ‘ soundtrack because it includes various catchy songs that viewers can sing to. This series gave new generations the chance to relive the icon that ‘High School Musical’ is, along with the music that makes it so unique and creative,” sophomore Andrea Delgado said.

The soundtrack is about an hour and a half long, a select few songs not deserving to make the cut. To begin, “A Billion Sorrys” by Matt Cornett was flat and sounded as if he was just speaking, proving that the producers were clearly relying on the overuse of auto tune to save the song. The adaptation of the singer’s voice only worsened the song and its quality, guaranteeing its spot as the worst song on the track. There were also remakes of songs used in the originals such as “Start of Something New”. The version performed on the show by Nini and EJ’s seemed off and felt very forced. It was included in the soundtrack because it was shown in the series, however, the chemistry throughout the song was extremely artificial. “Getcha Head in the Game” is another example of a song that was remade and unfortunately did not compare to its original.

Despite the fact that there are several songs that may have not been the best, the series did have some remarkable tracks. “Wondering” by Olivia Rodrigo and Julia Lester was exceptional, the vocals leaving everyone with chills, the use of the piano and echos adding to the beauty of the song and its message leaving an impact on listeners. “Just For a Moment” sung by Joshua Bassett and Olivia Rodrigo was stunning, not only because of the vocals but because of the story and  character development it exhibited. “I Think I Kinda, You Know” and “All I Want” by Olivia Rodrigo are also noteworthy mentions. “I Think I Kinda, You Know” was shown in the first episode and was an exceptional opener to the series because it allowed the audience to distinguish the character’s emotional capacities. “All I Want” was so emotional and breathtaking that it went viral on many social media platforms, earning the most fame on TikTok. There were also songs from “High School Musical” that were remastered in several versions throughout the show. “When There Was Me and You”, “Breaking Free”, “Stick to the Status Quo” and “We’re All in This Together” were incredible and truly did the original “High School Musical” justice. Most of the new versions were amazing vocally, instrumentally and were complemented with phenomenal choreography.

“The feelings poured into the songs are genuine and allow the storyline to grow.  The chemistry between the characters is noticeable and I loved the fact that they cover the original songs, but they also incorporate fresh new singles as well,” junior Belen Escalante said.

Overall, the soundtrack had some underperforming singles, but it also had some outstanding ones as well. Making a soundtrack is always difficult, and it is even more impressive when some of these songs were written by the actors themselves, none of them being over the age of 21. This selection of songs was great and fans cannot wait for the new ones to be released alongside season two.