Wizards of Waverly Place Soundtrack (by Various Artists, Soundtrack)

Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo! Disney's fascination with the fantastically magical (think the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio, Tinkerbell from Peter Pan, and Fantasia) continues with WIZARDS OF WAVERLY PLACE, a soundtrack to the hit Disney Channel TV show. Following the theme of this sorcery sitcom, each song is about  magic. There are a bunch of retro covers that draw from a variety of magic-themed songs, from The Pilot's 1975 hit "Magic" and the similarly title '84 single by The Cars to "Magic Carpet Ride" and "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic," which finds Hannah Montana star Mitchel Musso covering the Sting classic. Just like on TV, Selena Gomez is the star here, singing four of the 12 tracks.

Just like the series that inspired this soundtrack, the music featured here is fun and upbeat -- a veritable dance party in an LP. There's nothing especially deep or profound, but this is Disney tween entertainment at its best: hip, pop tunes that capture the spirit of the moment. With the '80s becoming retro chic these days, the revival of pop classics from the era seems like a perfect spell. All these songs, whether covers or originals, get the same super-production. For fans of the original songs, this might be an abomination, but for tweens who've never heard these classics, this album should be just the trick.