Groban, Tyler Board 'Polar Express'

By Carla Hay

NEW YORK (Billboard) - New songs from Josh Groban and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler will drive the holiday-themed soundtrack to "The Polar Express," due Nov. 2 on Reprise/Warner Bros. Records.

The Warner Bros. Pictures animated film, based on the best-selling children's book, opens Nov. 10 in U.S. theaters.

Groban's new song, "Believe," will be the first single and video from the soundtrack, while Tyler offers "Rockin' on Top of the World." Grammy Award-winning songwriter/producer Glen Ballard (Alanis Morissette, No Doubt, Dave Matthews Band) and film composer Alan Silvestri wrote and produced the new songs.

"Polar Express" star Tom Hanks sings two songs on the album: "Hot Chocolate" and the album's title track. The soundtrack also features several holiday classics, including Bing Crosby's White Christmas," the Andrews Sisters' "Winter Wonderland," Perry Como and the Fontaine Sisters' "It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas" and Crosby and the Andrews Sisters' "Here Comes Santa Claus (Right Down Santa Claus Lane)."

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Christmas movies have always contained some of the best music from the score composers, and yet the soundtrack producers fill the albums only with these "holiday classics".

One more reason not to enjoy the soundtrack album business of today.