24: Seasons 4 and 5

Produced by Sean Callery

Released by Varèse Sarabande Records on November 14, 2006

Track Listing

01 - 24 Main Title (from 24: The Game) (4:48)

02 - Collette's Arrest (2:51)

03 - Closing in on Marwon (4:27)

04 - Death in the Open Desert (1:42)

05 - Logan's Downfall (6:38)

06 - Mandy's Plan (2:55)

07 - Henderson (2:40)

08 - Jack's Women (3:36)

09 - C.T.U. (3:55)

10 - The Name's O'Brian - Chloe O'Brian (2:31)

11 - Mission Briefing (2:12)

12 - Bierko Entering the Gas Company (2:36)

13 - Logan's Near Suicide (2:24)

14 - Lynn McGill's Sacrifice (3:50)

15 - Base Mission (2:35)

16 - Airport Russians (2:45)

17 - Infiltrating the Sub (5:59)

18 - Loft Mission (2:55)

19 - Reviving Jack (3:16)

20 - Jack Storms the Gas Plant (8:10)

21 - Tony's Farewell (1:36)

Total Running Time: 54:09

It's hard to believe that I only started watching this show during its fourth season. It has become one of my all-time favorite shows and I even got my parents hooked on it. This kind of continuing storyline TV series is not something my parents have ever gotten into, so the fact that they are just as hooked on 24 as I am is telling to just how well the show can reel in the viewer. There are so many levels that make this show work as well as it does, but for now we'll focus on Sean Callery and his excellent work for musical side of things.

24 is scored in synth. While an orchestral score would be great for the series, I can imagine that such a process would be near impossible with the hectic schedule that is involved with each and every episode. That Michael Giacchino does it with Alias and Lost is great and all, but sometimes things just work better when a composer doesn't have to deal with that added layer of complexity. Of course, the whole argument of orchestra versus synth maybe have ended up being a stylistic choice, but whatever the case, the fact remains that while Callery may be working with synth, he has taken great pains to keep it as organic sounding as possible, and the resulting style fits the series very well.

The first volume of music from 24 covered the musical aspects of three seasons in about the same length of time. From a production standpoint, this allows the album to offer more of the cues that stood out during each season. It wasn't that the first album didn't do an adequate job, but this one seems a little fuller in regards to memorable material. The first half of the album covers more of the tension building moments and dramatic cues, while the latter half kicks everything into full gear, starting with the James Bondesque, "The Name's O'Brian - Chloe O'Brian". This album does have the tendency to jump around a lot between seasons and within seasons, giving a slightly disjointed feel at times. It doesn't help that Callery likes to experiment with different styles at times. The experimentation is welcome, but the album could have used a little more thought behind the layout of the cues.

While the album is billed as being for "Seasons Four and Five", also mixed in with the rest of the album are three tracks from the orchestrated score to 24: The Game. While they are nice to have, those with the game score album may be a little disappointed in the re-use of material. Those without will be very happy with the orchestrated 24 Main Title, one of the standout pieces on the album. Other cues of note are are "Jack's Women" and "C.T.U.", which are from the second and third season respectively.

I really don't see this album as being tempting to anyone other than 24 fans who have enjoyed Callery's work on the show. Being one of them, I find this album to be a great addition, but for those who aren't with the show, there's not a lot here that a cold listen will make enjoyable.

Reviewed on December 19, 2006