Two of a Kind (Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine\nOlivia Newton-John and John Travolta's second film, Two of a Kind, simply didn't capture the magic of Grease, lacking the humor, style or great music of that musical landmark. Instead of offering infectious, nostalgic rewrites of doo-wop and early rock & roll, the soundtrack to Two of a Kind is devoted to forced mainstream pop and soft rock, none of which is as memorable as the hits from Newton-John's Physical. Her three hits from the soundtrack -- "Twist of Fate," "Take a Chance," "Livin' in Desperate Times" -- are not bad, but they're surrounded by filler from Patti Austin, Steve Kipner, Boz Scaggs, Chicago and David Foster; only Journey's "Ask the Lonely" offers enjoyably trashy mainstream pop. As a result, the soundtrack falls flat, functioning only as a reasonably entertaining pop artifact from the early '80s.