Various Artists
Dreamgirls

Sony-BMG

Dreamgirls — an early-80s Broadway smash musical about a late-60s girl group based on Diana Ross and the Supremes — needed a dream cast to pull off the movie adaptation. They got it with Beyoncé (whose own musical history makes the role seem like, well, destiny), acclaimed American Idol contestant Jennifer Hudson and award-winning actor and Kanye collaborator Jamie Fox. Not to mention, Eddie Murphy, whose bravura turn as James "Thunder" Early may even banish memories of his unintentionally hilarious one-hit wonder “Party All The Time” (or at least his movie bomb Pluto Nash).

The slow songs are, of course, theatrical, but their R&B undercurrent makes it feel more fresh than most Broadway music while horn-driven group numbers such as “Steppin’ To The Bad Side“ or “Fake Your Way To The Top” are straight-up dance-floor fillers. Even a show-stopping ballad like “One Night Only” comes back as a disco track.

Oscar talk is already swirling, but the true testament is this soundtrack.