...or so I'm ready to argue as a 30 year devotee of this sorely under appreciated genre. So, in an effort to do my part, each week I'll be making recommendations of soundtracks current and vintage, make a fuss over long awaited soundtrack scores finally getting a well deserved release, and in general, make some noise about this often overlooked category. Beyond my long experience as a listener and as a pianist and songwriter, both of which I've put to use in writing a quarterly soundtrack column for the Chicago Tribune, I can only offer my recommendations. You'll discern my taste soon enough and upfront I'd like to make it clear that I'll focus most heavily on SCORE soundtracks. In the end, all criticism is subjective but if I can point a listener toward a little heard soundtrack or strongly advise you to either ORDER IMMEDIATELY or SKIP ALTOGETHER, all the better.
James Newton-Howard's latest collaboration with director M. Night Shyamalan, Lady in the Water (seen above), and two previous efforts (my favorites), The Village and Signs (soundtrack covers also shown above).
James Newton-Howard's fifth collaboration with writer-director M. Night Shyamalan is Lady in the Water. While it doesn't have the deep sorrow of last year's Oscar nominated The Village or the exultant sweep of Signs, Newton-Howard's sure sense of melody guarantees that this is a soundtrack worth diving into (pun intended). This is a Newton-Howard score that needs to be savored before sussing out favorite tracks.
Like pretty much every score since James Cameron's The Abyss, Lady in the Water has its share of those angelic choir/symphonic cues that seem a given for anything to do with underwater creatures (think sopranos and glockenspiels). This is especially evident in the opening cue, "Prologue" which sets up the mythical framework in which Shyamalan will tell his story of a lady creature from The Blue World who somehow winds up in the pool of an apartment complex in Philadelphia.
Newton-Howard wraps this hard to fathom tale in dreamy and ominous music that sorely helps it. He employs the standard orchestra and again (as in Signs) takes a page from the trilling, redundant music of minimalist composer Phillip Glass (this is especially evident in the cue, "Charades" and "Ripples in the Pool"). Throughout Newton-Howard (as always) nicely utilizes his string section (take another listen to The Prince of Tides for proof of that) and though I have yet to find a stand out cue (ala "The Hand of Fate - Part II" in Signs), repeated listens are starting to point toward the aforementioned "Charades" and another cue titled "Healing."
The soundtrack (from Decca) also includes (at the end of the disc -- thank you) four redone Dylan tunes that are appropriately mournful while rocking out at the same time. For purists, it's easy enough to bypass these and return to Newton-Howard's beautiful music.