This is a great cd. The best song is Out tonight. I know most do'nt think so, but Rosario kicks butt. Daphne was too "aaa" squeaky. Rosario is great, talented, and sexy. Tracie Thoms can strutt her stuff with "Tango: Maureen" and "Take Me or Leave Me". She is a belter and OWNS Seasons of Love with a hiiigh note. The other parts of the cast are awesome. It is way better than the original.

I saw the play several years ago. Frankly, I was a little offended at some of plot (just my own personal tastes and beliefs), but the music was strong and affected me. I bought the album to see if my memory was correct. The music is still strong and many of the songs affected me. Beautiful harmonies.

Now I personally have never seen the play Rent. But nevertheless I have compiled a complete myriad of songs from the original cast as well as it's successors. But to have a cast with such veterans and two new additions was an amazing score for Christopher Columbus and Sony Pictures.
The music was filled with clarity and the picture was clear and perfect. Considering I have seen many plays I am venturing to guess that the element of New York City in the movie was a helpful one. Because in a play you can create sceneries but you can only get so authentic. But having this option to travel anywhere in the entire city of New York was quite a perk.
Now this is where I am going to list in order the best vocalists in the movie this is just based on singing whether is be vocals in general or how much should and life the performers put into the songs they sang:
1.) Tracie Thoms- Joanne Jefferson
2.) Idina Menzel - Maureen Johnson
3.) Jesse L. Martin- Tom Collins
4.) Rosario Dawson- Mimi Marquez
5.) Wilson Jermaine Heredia- Angel Schunard
6.) Adam Pascal- Roger Davis
7.) Taye Diggs- Benny Coffin III
8.) Anthony Rapp- Mark Cohen

Keeping in mind each one of these actors and singers are phenomenal but this scenario is "If I had to pick."

Now for the songs I am going to put them in order from my least favorite to my favorite-

28.) Halloween- I know Rapp is a fantastic actor and made the structure for future Marks but I think this song is very short ad I think it was just tying the end to the story and putting things into perspective. My least favorite on the cd.

27.) I Should Tell You- I just can't stand the constant play on these words through the entire movie and play. Yes, it was appropriate to have this "secret" in between them and their story was heartfelt. Vocals were good but it did bore and of course frustrate me. But nevertheless in ranks 27th in the countdown.

26.) You'll See- Now to me I thought the only point of this song was to introduce another plot to the story and I give them credit for signing it with emotion but it really wasn't necessary.

25.) Finale A- Instead of this song qualifying for a finale should have just been plain I Should Tell You B. And it was more of talking than I thought singing.

24.) Without you- Now I know I have been a little rough on Mimi and Roger but it seems that all of their songs are just very long love songs. I do like this song a lot but I just don't think it can make it past this point. But I love the lyrics just not perfect for them.

23.) (Can you guess?) Another Day- Now I know this song is great which it is but the reason why it ranks at 23rd is because of Roger. Mimi was so gentle and he was so erratic and loud and frustrated which of course was the part, but the clashing pitches just didn't do it for me.

22.) Your Eyes- I'm sorry...I just think these two don't blend that well together. This song was one that you choked up, but it wasn't enough I think. This guy is good but I think rockers can only be so good he's the best of his caliber but he's a rocker. And I thought the end with the loud pitched Mimi shouldn't have been.

21.) What You Own- This was very good, but it seemed a little too rockesque or popesque because the lyrics were a bit odd and the way they sang it seemed very unrent. But I do like it.

20.) Rent- Very good yes, but I think Rapp tried to match Pascal too much and it didn't bode well. Rapp has more of a geekish and unusual quality to his voice. And Pascal has the heavy influence of a rocker in his voice.

19.) One Song Glory- This was a very fast song and if I had taken a guess I would have thought someone singing about their dead girlfriend would have been less rockesque. But I liked it I can only listen to this song on occasion when I really want to.

18.) Life Support- Very touching and endearing. But the purpose of this song was really just to give the main ensemble of Rent a sort of theme and structure. To give them specifics to sing in the end. But I liked it very much and it was also extremely short.

17.) Will I- Great vocals fantastic lyrics incredible just very short and again just to get a true feel for tragedy due to AIDS. To make you feel sorry for these characters but very good. Also set p the true ensemble for the big Finale.

16.) Out Tonight- I think she is better in a slow song but she can nail the fast ones too. She did an excellent job, and for everyone said she can replace Vega. Dawson's much better than Vega.

15.) Seasons of Love B- A nice intermission and a continuation a stupendous song. Very good quality and very time to play it in the movie.

14.) Goodbye Love- Great song really explained how the entire group was slowly falling apart. But they are reunited in the end; my favorite line in the move is in this song. "I can't believe this family must die." And I also think they should have divided the group part and the part between Pascal and Rapp into two different songs.

13.) La Vie Boheme B- This was more of a New Year resolution song I think this was just to end the entire seen in the bar and to give La Vie Boheme a true and justified ending. Also to rock up the mood from I Should Tell You of course.

12.) Today For You- Angel we finally meet Angel. One of the most well known characters in Broadway. Everyone fell in love with him, and this song was extremely fun with crazy lyrics. From this you really got the feel for the newly introduced character.

11.) Finale B- What a great way to wrap up one of the best movies, plays, songs, and acting ever. Perfect way absolutely perfect. You can really hear everyone, makes me love the move and soundtrack even more eveytime I hear it.

Final ten..........

10.) Light My Candle- Finally!!!! The best song between Dawson and Pascal. This is what I would have expected between this two. Great really really great.

9.) Santa Fe- Ah the beloved fun dancing song about opening up a restaurant. Amazing every time I hear this song I can picture it clearly them dancing on the subway. They are truly phenomenal together all of them. One of my favorites.

8.) I'll Cover You- Greta this truly expresses how devoted and in love Collins and Angel are. They have both left a permanent stamp in my mind that these are the authentic Collins and Angel no one could ever replace them in my mind. I love this one, great loving lyrics as well.

7.) Seasons of Love- This is the perfect way to open the movie. Absolutely perfect, they are all on stage each with a spotlight in character. This gives you a feel for the amazing vocals and music you're going to feel from this movie. Every time I hear the opening it gives me chills, Thoms is great and gets better as the movie goes along. You will never forget this scene it goes down in movie history.

6.) Over the Moon- This makes me laugh and sing along in the loopy lyrics. I listened to the original recording and Menzel did the original in a very psychotic and deranged way. But in this version she does it more sexily and seductively. I do like this version better but at some points I wish she had done something in the original in the new, but I love Idina. Passionately. She could sing the newspaper to me and I would still love her. Great song.

Final 5.....

5.) Tango Maureen- Probably the most unique song of the bunch. But all the same fits perfectly in the puzzle. Rapp and Thoms do fantastic Rapp embellishes every word and Thoms has her amazing pipes. These two did incredible with this song.

4.) La Vie Boheme- Ahh, how could you not love this song? A fast crazy lyrics long and life like a Bohemian perfect. Everyone had their part and did it amazingly.

3.) Take Me or Leave Me- Menzel and Thoms blow us away. Their vocals mesh so well together the lyrics are great and it was wonderful. Idina is great and Tracie lives right up to her reputation. They were trying to outdo each other in the end, and it pulled it all together. This was a show stopper, great job girls.

2.) I'll Cover You (Reprise) - This is the first song in all of my history of listening to music that made me want to cry. It feels like he is truly expressing his feelings and sadness and soul and heart in all of 4 minutes. Martin truly is amazing and this song sums up why he is amazing, every time I listen to it the line "When your Heart has Expired" sends chills through me. And then when Thoms comes in it blows everything else away, together Thoms, Martin, and Cast is incredible. This is one of the highlights of the cd. So heartfelt and tender it is brilliant.

1.) Love Heals- Irony at its finest. A song that was not in the Broadway play and not even in the move but on the cd was amazing. The lyrics were touching and the vocals were mind-blowing. Every one having their solo just pulled the song together. Menzel, Thoms, and Dawson were really the structure of the song. It was great it summed up the whole movie in one song. Amazing, Amazing, Amazing!

Jonathan Larson is a genius a clean cut genius.

RENT!!!!!! "Our Akita Evita."