Voices: WWE The Music Vol.9 Review

Posted by Tom Santoro on 01.31.2009

Yeah! New wrestling theme songs!

Track Listing:

1. Randy Orton – "Voices"
2. Maryse – “Pourquoi?”
3. Kane – “Man on Fire”
4. Kung Fu Naki – “Kung Fu San”
5. Kelly Kelly – “Holla”
6. R-Truth – “What’s up?”
7. Vladimir Kovlov – “Pain”
8. The Great Khali – “The Land of Five Rivers”
9. Eve – “She Looks Good”
10. Jack Swagger – “Get on Your Knees”
11. Smackdown Theme – “If You Rock Like Me”
12. Umaga – “Tribal Trouble”
13. Dibiase/Rhodes/Manu – “Priceless”



Who does not remember the sound of the shattered glass and the frantic entrance of Stone Cold Steve Austin? How about the firm bass line and drum beat that followed The Rock’s famous catchphrase “If you smell what the Rock is cooking?” These entrance themes and hundreds of other like them are all from the creative mastermind, WWE Music Director, Jim Johnston.

On Voices: WWE The Music Vol.9, Johnston writes, composes and plays all instruments on almost every song on the album, the lone exception being R-Truth’s “What’s Up?” It is a more diverse group of theme songs as it takes styles of music from all over the world. The collection highlights Johnston’s ability to help identify a character through his music.

For over 20 years, Johnston has made his theme songs as synonymous with the characters that go along with them. On Voices most of the themes are for up and coming superstars who have not yet developed into household names, but Johnston does what he does best by trying to create a song to match their personalities. The best example of Johnston’s genius is the Rammstein like “Pain.” The intensity of the man screaming in Russian over an intense industrial sound is the perfect fit for the Russian brawler.

Another good track on the album is the cocky “Get on Your Knees” for Jack Swagger. It sounds a bit like Rage Against the Machine’s “Testify” but is performed by the same people who did the DX theme credited as The Chris Warren Band.

However, the track that stands out the most on the album is Randy Orton’s “Voices.” It is sung by Rev Theory’s lead singer Rich Luzzi. It matches Randy Orton’s cold-blooded demeanor and could be a modest hit on hard rock radio.

On other themes, Johnston shows his range by showing he can produce any kind of song using a vast array of sounds. On Umaga’s “Tribal Trouble”, he uses African tribal drums and chanting. He underscores it with jungle sounds, like birds and monkeys, which distract from the songs overall feel. The Great Khali’s “The Land of Five Rivers” sounds like a rocking Bollywood dance song, while Maryse’s “Pourquoi?” is a sleazy European dance song.

The rest of the songs are ho-hum, the worst being R-Truth’s uninspired hip-hop song “What’s Up?” He sounds like a poor man’s DMX. It is the only song not written by Johnston and it shows. You can barely understand what he is saying aside from shouting the title “What’s Up?” Another bad track is Kung Fu Naki’s “Kung Fu San” because it is a blatant rip off of Carl Douglas’ “Kung Fu Fighting.” At least it does not take itself as seriously as R-Truth’s song.

On Voices: WWE The Music Vol. 9, the production of longtime WWE Music Director Jim Johnston is at its best. He shows a more dynamic range as he uses sounds from all over the world. However, it remains to be seen if these songs will go down as classic’s like some of his most famous theme songs.

The 411: WWE Music Director Jim Johnston shows his range and diversity on Voices: WWE The Music Vol. 9 by incorporating styles of music from all around the globe. However, these songs do not feel like they will go down as classics as they are not as memorable. Take this for what it is worth, a collection for fans of WWE and its theme music.

Final Score:  6.0   [ Average ]