Having children has turned me on to bubble-gum pop, and it doesn't get much tastier than Camp Rock 2. The songs are catchy, but there's real emotion behind the writing and execution, more than there needed to be, and certainly more than the air-headed High School Musical films. When Demi Lovato sings "Can't Back Down," there's a certain gravity and toughness to the performance, and the song rocks like a boxing training montage. The background dancer's moves are somewhere between martial arts and sign language, and are executed with chilling precision. In contrast, "It's On" bounces with youthful energy, although I admit to being puzzled when putting the captions on ("let me see how you bob" will haunt me for months to come). The Camp Star numbers are all Vegas and Cirque glitz, and newcomer Mdot Finley owns the stage like an R&B Bono. The bittersweet "This Is Our Song," sung as the campers gather around a fire and uncertain of the fate of a place they've grown to love, turns defeat into victory by the sheer joy of singing in unison, of harmonizing with people you've bonded with. Do I take this stuff too seriously? Undoubtedly I do, but put that down to the genius of the songwriters and the likable performers Disney has under their wing. Well done.
