#tumblr kept deleting this and i don't have the patience to proofread it again sorry

[tutubola-moved-on]

Why I Don't Like The Encanto Soundtrack

I'm latino, I'm a musician, and from my point of view it is not deserving its hype. I also think it's funny how, when I brought it up on instagram, most people who got mad at me were gringo, while lots of latinos agreed. But these are just my two cents, because I think someone has to burst the bubble, so so with it what you must.

And just a disclaimer: I completely understand why people like the soundtrack, and people are 100% allowed to enjoy things!!! But unfortunately liking something doesn't automatically make it good quality. I myself am guilty of liking "bad" songs and disliking really good quality songs, we all are!! Music isn't just about quality

Family Madrigal: This song is supposed to be the exposition, when all the pieces are put onto the table, and especially for a movie like Encanto where there are 11 main characters that are hinted at an eventual development it's so important that they do it right---but they didn't. Having Mirabel sing the entire song on her own, in the same repetitive melody, was a wasted opportunity at introducing the characters. It's so important to have characters introduce themselves in musicals; we can get so much information from the way they sing and which instruments accompany them and what they say. Mirabel drops one sentence about each of them and leaves it be. From that very point the movie already promised rushed and sloppy character arcs, and they really went through with it.

And it did Colombian music so dirty with that lazy accordion/percussion and lack of background vocals. Music is so deeply engrained in latino culture and our music is revered worldwide for its richness and complexity and I'm seriously concerned if gringos think this is as good as it gets. The musicians had all the pieces for an amazing opening number, but they didn't use them, or at least not wisely.

Waiting on a Miracle: This song had so much potential and I was really excited as to where it would go with the slow build up, but I think my main issue with it was the eventual lack of climax. "I want" songs like Let it Go, Reflection and Part of Your World allow the protagonist (and actor) to show raw emotion, which is only truly possible if the instruments and vocals come to a pivotal point where they're being used to the extent of their abilities. In Waiting on a Miracle, you get a single, honestly failed belt, and the music comes down. The build up is there, but the singer unfortunately really can't keep up with it, and by the time it gets to the belt it's underwhelming, ends quickly, and the song finishes so soft it erases the build up without ever getting to the peak.

I'm also so disappointed by the lyrics about how she "can't move the mountains" but "would move the mountains" like yeah we can tell. Mirabel's story is supposed to be so beautiful and could have lead to such beautiful lyrics but they stuck to blunt repetitions instead. Not to mention "hurricane or a summer rain" completely breaks the mood; it's too quick paced compared to the verse before and after it, but would've done wonders if they had used it as a hook for a more powerful or quicker section.

Instead we have the all i need is change/all i need is a chance section, and it's pretty and all and adds more suspense that can only really be released if we get that climax we were waiting for since the hurricane part. And the "open your eyes" part is so so great, it builds up and builds up and you're expecting a burst of instruments and vocals and whatnot, but it never comes. We stay on the ground with the return to the first theme, as much as it was modulated, and never get the satisfaction of a powerful belt.

Surface Pressure: I don't think I need to go too deep on why "I am the strong one I'm not nervous" are...... not great lyrics. We already know she is the strong one and she can say that without having to break into song. Music is supposed to take over when words cannot, so these blunt lyrics that just repeat what has already been said kinda misses that purpose: and this is an issue throughout the soundtrack. The song itself could be cut out and replaced by a conversation and it would feel complete; the song is not eased in with dialogue, it doesn't ease into dialogue, and would do better as an extra released independent from the movie.

We Don't Talk About Bruno: Ah yes. The one and only. I actually liked this song at the start and it was really fun to figure out structurally, but once that was out of the way there was nothing else to be enjoyed. "Oh but the fun part was the structure" is not an excuse, because Lin Manuel Miranda composed Non-Stop with the same structure but used technically demanding parts and theme developments to make it interesting past the structure. We Don't Talk About Bruno is easy enough for teenagers on TikTok to sing through all the parts, and underdeveloped enough that the characters sing the same verses over and over again. Like Waiting on a Miracle, it had a lot of potential, and it really is a fun songs when you first listen to it, but there's nothing too outstanding about it. It sounds more like a demo than a full song, and could've easily been expanded into a grand act one finale.

I was especially upset about Pepa and Dolores; their parts had a really strong start and their actors did an amazing job but then they got put into the background and we don't really hear from them again. Dolores especially never got her time to shine, and I really liked her voice and wished they had used it more.

What Else Can I Do: I think it had the same issue as Surface Pressure. Independently, it would've been a great song. But in the movie they kind of break into it out of the blue and end it of the blue. It felt like I was watching a children's show, like Backyardigans or something, where they're singing for the audience's attention and not to move the plot forward. Not to mention the eventual hug was....... underwhelming. They were encountered by the problem and solved it in the span of 10 minutes (Mirabel needed to hug Isabella to save the plot but they didn't have a good relationship, and then they just sing it out and hug). And the song itself felt so disconnected because it was sung by Isabella talking about how Mirabel was pushing Isabella to be herself.....? It would've been stronger if it were sung by Mirabel, or if she had a more dominant part in it, because the way it was done makes it seem as if Isabella just simply changed without any of Mirabel's influence.

Dos Oruguitas: Now this is a good song. The lyrics are beautiful, the voice is beautiful, the harmonies are beautiful. This song deserves the hype, and it shows the beginning of how far they could've gone with the soundtrack if only they had put more everything into it. The way it comes off is that they composed a soundtrack that scratched the surface of Colombian music while still pleasing gringos and their musical preferences, which is really sad and I sure hope it's not the actual case; I'm a strong believer that music evolves from cultural exchanges, and we can't stump so gringos will be comfortable, and it definitely felt like that for me.

All Of You: I really don't have the patience for this sorry and my issue with this song is really plot-related so unless you guys really want me to talk about it I'll spare myself

I don't think the soundtrack is inherently bad. I just don't think it's Disney level (or latino level) and just because the movie had great representation doesn't make it perfect. I think Encanto was supposed to be enjoyed not as a Disney Magnum Opus but just as a fun little movie. This is not where latino representation should end.

#tumblr kept deleting this and i don't have the patience to proofread it again sorry #encanto #encanto soundtrack #looove starting drama #/j i just rlly want to bring attention to this but ik it'll start drama :( #music