VA - A League Of Their Own - Music From The Motion Picture (1992)

Various Columbia Records-affiliated pop singers contribute covers of period songs to the soundtrack of this film, which is a tribute to the all-girls baseball league that existed during World War II. James Taylor performs "It's Only A Paper Moon" and "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," making them his own as he frequently does with material he didn't write. Billy Joel recreates Duke Ellington's "In A Sentimental Mood," Art Garfunkel does nicely with "Two Sleepy People," and The Manhattan Transfer apply their jazz vocal abilities to "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" and "On The Sunny Side Of The Street." The song that got the most attention, however, was Carole King's original tune, "Now And Forever," which hit the Adult Contemporary chart. The album is filled out with music from Hans Zimmer's score, which is appropriate to the film's nostalgic and inspirational themes. (Note that Madonna's #1 hit "This Used To Be My Playground," heard in the film, does not appear on this album for contractual reasons.)~ Review by William Ruhlmann