And the big names certainly do deliver. Taking Back Sunday comes out early on in the disc, with Error Operator bringing a flavor you would expect from Sunday. This one is a great pick for the #2 track on the disc and probably should have opened the disc. Joss Stone and Ryan Cabrera also deliver two solid tracks. Stone's What Ever Happened To The Heroes brings to the table her R&B/soul style and actually mixes it with just a hint of rock. It's a unique song on this disc and works extremely well. Cabrera sticks to his typical pop/rock stylings on Always Come Back To You. He also sticks to his solid writing abilities, which is what truly allows this track to take off. Stone and Cabrera are two of the youngest artists on this disc, but they deliver like veterans.
Sadly, the veterans themselves can't deliver. Velvet Revolver leads the soundtrack off with Come On, Come In. Musically, it is a solid song, even superior to many of the tracks on the disc. But lyrically it doesn't do anything. The music is definitely the only thing worthwhile on this track and, though the music certainly works well for an opening track, the song as a whole is just trash.
The same can be said about many of the rap tracks on this disc, minus the solid music. Fantastic 4 is the only superhero soundtrack in recent memory to use more than one or two rap artists. And, if even 10% of mainstream rap was good, that wouldn't be an issue. But artists like Chingy and Lloyd Banks do absolutely nothing but hinder this disc. Chingy's Relax mixes mediocre beats (and that's being generous) with terrible lyrics (and that's also being generous). Banks' On Fire offers slightly better beats with the same level of lyrical ability (meaning there is no lyrical talents in either of these guys based on these tracks). The only saving grace for this disc in the rap spectrum is New World Symphony. Miri Ben-Ari, along with Pharoahe Monch deliver a track that at least provides a unique sound. The lyrics aren't good, but when compared to Chingy and Lloyd Banks they look like a Ron Artest vs. Detroit Pistons fans.
So the rap aspect definitely brings this disc down. But let's forget about the rap for a minute, because this disc offers a lot of talent that is likely undiscovered by many people until now. Some of the best tracks on the soundtrack come from some of the names you've never heard. Ben Moody is likely a name you've heard before. He's that guy that used to be in Evanescence and got them pulled from Christian markets when he used the f-bomb in an interview. Well, he is returning now, this time as a solo artist. Although he's yet to actually be a solo artist. On 2004's The Punisher Soundtrack, Moody featured Jason Miller and Jason "Gong" Jones on his track, The End Has Come. Now, on another soundtrack, he features Anastacia on his latest track, Everything Burns. And he really does deliver this time. Anastacia is far from being the next Amy Lee (Evanescence's lead singer), but, at least for this song, she manages to work relatively well with Moody's voice. Breaking Point also appears on this disc with Goodbye To You. And they also manage to produce a solid track (something that is a rarity on the second half of this disc). It is probably the biggest stand-out on the second half of the disc. However, that's not to say it's the only good track on the second half. In fact, newcomer Megan McCauley offers Reverie, her second of two tracks on this disc. This one is a slower, more thoughtful song musically. Lyrically, it certainly doesn't struggle, much like the first offering from McCauley, Die For You. A track that lands itself right toward the end of a solid run of tracks, Die For You keeps the run alive for one more song. McCauley proves with both tracks that she belongs in the rock music industry and will be an artist to look out for. Another group to look out for is newcomers Omnisoul. Their offering Waiting (Save Your Life) is arguably the best track on the disc. Along with McCauley's Die For You, Waiting (Save Your Life) is the track poised to be the track from this soundtrack that makes a huge breakthrough on radio, and deservedly so.
Overall, the rap really does kill this disc quite a bit. Without it, this disc would be pretty solid with only a few minor flaws. With it, it's just...ugh. Skip the rap, but don't allow the rap itself to make you skip Fantastic 4: The Album. You'll miss out on some truly great tracks from some big name artists and some even better tracks from newcomers to the industry that will leave you asking for more.