Various Artists
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American Beauty: Music from the Motion Picture
Various Artists, Thomas Newman
What’s the soundtrack for suburbia gone awry? Perhaps it’s American Beauty—the music for the dark Sam Mendes-directed flick starring Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening. With its mix of classic and indie rock, the disc seems to reflect something for everyone (or at least those found in middle America). Bobby Darin’s “Don’t Rain on My Parade” is the epitome of unhip, Free’s “All Right Now” is a classic rock anthem we’ve heard way too many times, and Peggy Lee’s “Bali Ha’i” is vintage exotica at its best. But then there are some surprises: Elliott Smith’s…
Moulin Rouge: Music from the Film
Various Artists
Nicole Kidman playing a singing prostitute? Ewan McGregor channeling the Police? If the soundtrack to director Baz Luhrmann’s freakish musical Moulin Rouge has its way, we’ll all be wearing corsets and swinging from the ceiling while the former Mrs. Tom Cruise becomes our favorite new pop sensation. As daring as Luhrmann himself, the compositions test Kidman—who could have easily used a league of backup singers and studio knob-twiddlers to hide her inexperience—and she actually passes. She’s no Olivia Newton-John, but she capably mixes Madonna’s “Material…
O Brother, Where Art Thou?: Original Soundtrack
T-Bone Burnett, Various Artists
The best soundtracks are like movies for the ears, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? joins the likes of Saturday Night Fever and The Harder They Come as cinematic pinnacles of song. The music from the Coen brothers’ Depression-era film taps into the source from which the purest strains of country, blues, bluegrass, folk, and gospel music flow. Producer T Bone Burnett enlists the voices of Alison Krauss, Gillian Welch, Emmylou Harris, Ralph Stanley, and kindred spirits for performances of traditional material, in arrangements that are either a…
Big Fish: Music from the Motion Picture
Danny Elfman, Various Artists
Director Tim Burton’s adaptation of author Daniel Wallace’s bittersweet Southern Gothic novel has been billed as his first mainstream character drama, a notion that conveniently ignores the story’s inherent fables and flights of imagination. But composer Danny Elfman understands their every dark nook and murky cranny with this magical, often deftly understated score. While the epic melodrama of his comic book scores (Batman, Spider-Man, The Hulk, et. al.) have made him a mainstream Hollywood music star, longtime fans know that the composer’s…
Various Artists
A dozen of the world’s greatest instrumental Acoustic Guitarists tackle the most beloved melodies of legendary composer Henry Mancini. From the brilliance of Grammy Winning gutiarist Laurence Juber’s phenomenal display on the Pink Panther Theme to Ed Gerhards lovely arrangement of the classic Moon River….this collection will tickle your funny bone and touch your heart. Mancini’s melodies are so strong they adapt well to solo guitar whether it be steel string or nylon acoustic….and the finale is a brilliant duet on A Shot In the Dark.
Livin', Lovin', Losin': Songs of the Louvin Brothers
Various Artists
Given their impact on generations of country, country-rock, and bluegrass acts, it’s amazing the Louvins haven’t had a modern tribute before. Unlike tribute albums that stumble through inconsistent performances and ill-matched material, this one soars, the selections well matched to the paired artists. Joe Nichols and Rhonda Vincent capture “Cash on the Barrelhead’s” sassy humor. Emmylou Harris—who spearheaded the Louvin revival—and Rodney Crowell are relaxed on the Louvin hit “My Baby’s Gone.” Merle Haggard and the album’s producer Carl Jackson capture the…
Timeless: The Songs of Hank Williams
Various Artists
Like 1999’s tribute to Gram Parsons, Timeless: The Songs of Hank Williams revives the tired “tribute” concept and applies it in homage to a key figure in country music. Interpreting songs from across Hank Williams’s short and troubled career, a range of high-profile artists use different approaches with equally gratifying results. Tom Petty, Sheryl Crow and Hank Williams III play familiar songs with traditional arrangements (Ms Crow’s yodel is an eye opener); Beck, Mark Knopfler and Keb’ Mo’ stay closer to their own idioms. Keith Richards’ reedy vocal…
Forever, for Always, for Luther
Various Artists
This star-studded smooth-jazz tribute to Luther Vandross adds credence to the idea that the saxophone is the instrument that comes closest to mimicking the human voice. The passion that these reed players—including Kirk Whalum, Boney James, Mindi Abair, and Dave Koz—pour into their respective tracks makes it seems like they’re speaking right from the heart. Guitarist Paul Jackson Jr. does a very funky turn on “Never Too Much,” and two of the most underrated singers in contemporary urban music, Lalah Hathaway and Ledisi, also provide highlights. But the sax…
Kill Bill: Volume 1 Original Soundtrack
The RZA, Various Artists
Fashion be damned: Pop culture is just one big Hometown Buffet for writer-director Quentin Tarantino. Nowhere has that sensibility been more apparent than on his hand-picked soundtrack choices, and this oft tongue-in-cheek tale of a female assassin’s revenge (his first film in six years) is no exception. With dizzy, almost palpable glee, Tarantino evokes the international hall-of-mirrors influences that energize martial arts films and much of Asian pop culture in general. Thus the hip-hop of Wu Tang’s RZA (who, along with composer Charles Bernstein, concocts what…
Chicago: Music from the Motion Picture
Danny Elfman, Various Artists
The movie version of Kander and Ebb’s Chicago was long in the making, but it’s well worth the wait. Director Rob Marshall’s main change was to turn the classic musical numbers into fantasy sequences, but of course this isn’t obvious on CD. Most importantly, the arrangements are bursting with life while being true to the show’s spirit, and the casting is simply inspired. Catherine Zeta-Jones actually started her career on the British boards (she was in The Pajama Game and 42nd Street), so her turn as slinky Velma Kelly isn’t that surprising;…
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