Soundtrack   Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Mayhem of the Music Meister! Music By Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis and Kristopher Carter Lyrics By: Michael Jelenic and James Tucker Performed By: Various Artists Distributed By: New Line Records Reviewed by Melissa Minners               He’s the Music Meister / and singing is his game / He’s the Music Meister / Before this album’s done you’ll be doing the same / He’s the Music Meister / You’re powerless against his call / He’s the Music Meister /  And all of Gotham is about to fall!             I had never actually watched Batman: The Brave and the Bold prior to listening to the Mayhem of the Music Meister! Soundtrack, but once I started listening to it, I quickly surmised that it was probably an animated version of the truly campy 70s live action Batman television series.  I mean, let’s face it, DC Comics’ finest crime fighting legends facing a man whose chief power is to force you to do whatever he wants just by singing.  Oh, it gets better - when he sings, everyone he comes in contact with sings as well.  The opening scene: villains and heroes square off against one another and prepare to fight until Music Meister hits the scene and suddenly villains and heroes begin singing to one another.             As a stand alone album, Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Mayhem of the Music Meister! is funny and quite enjoyable.  There were times when I couldn’t help but sing along…I even enjoyed it so much that I listened to it twice, singing along when I could and grinning.  I especially enjoyed the song Drives Us Bats, an ode to Batman performed by Neil Patrick Harris and the rest of the cast, describing how Batman drives the criminals in Gotham crazy.  As the Music Meister says, it’s a good thing they have Arkham.             I had no idea just how talented Neil Patrick Harris actually was.  I knew he was a great actor, but I had no idea he had such an accomplished singer.  Performing as the Music Meister, Harris shows off his vocal skills - skills that put the rest of the show’s cast to shame.  Grey Delisle as Black Canary has a decent voice, but high notes are not her strong point, although she does harmonize well with Neil Patrick Harris and James Arnold Taylor (Green Arrow).             I must admit, this CD actually peaked my interest enough to get me to watch this episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.  As a Broadway musical (the ballad If Only would fit that genre perfectly) or a stand alone album, this soundtrack would do just fine.  As a television show, I found it to be ridiculously campy with heroes and villains alike dancing in the midst of battle, performing pirouettes and the like.  I found it so silly that I couldn’t watch it all the way through.             That being said, the campy visuals take nothing away from the Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Mayhem of the Music Meister! Soundtrack (boy, that was a mouthful).  This CD, released by New Line Records, is fun and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves Broadway musicals.  A Batman Broadway Musical…hmmm.  Now that would be interesting…until then, we’ll just have to settle for the Mayhem of the Music Meister! Soundtrack.   For feedback, visit our message board or e-mail the author at talonkarrde@g-pop.net.