A KID IN ALADDIN'S PALACE

Reissue. A charming children's score by David Michael Frank, Kin in Aladdin's Palace boasts an epic scope uncommon to the family film genre -- even if the City of Prague Philharmonic's performance doesn't quite achieve the cumulative power the music demands, it's still a far more impressive effort than you might expect. Frank employs a series of ethnic melodies and instruments to capture the film's mythical Arabian setting, vividly evoking the vast panoramas of the desert milieu -- the themes are clever and the arrangements are complex, at times suggesting a grown-up adventure more than a kid-friendly B-movie. However, with only 34 brief tracks, the score never fully stretches out, and Frank introduces a number of memorable thematic ideas that move by all too quickly -- still, it's worth a listen for kids of all ages. ~ Jason Ankeny

34 Tracks, Total Time: 46:48