Every so often a composer gets a chance to score
a musical work for a film in which he gets to try something new (which in
most cases translates into weird). I don’t know whether or not director Steven
Soderbergh had specific instructions as to what he wanted
from this score musically, but, more than likely, Thomas Newman was given
creative control on this flick. And like most scores that are birthed in
this type of environment, it is just plain weird.
The first glaring problem with this disc hits
you immediately with the first track. The reverb on the music is extremely
heavy and it gives the impression that the music was recorded in a different
room altogether. There are some tracks where the reverb does get a little
better, but your stuck with this terrible mix for the most part. Though some
parts of the score are orchestral, the primary instruments seem to be a
piano, a guitar, and an annoying electronic beat. The orchestra is heard
only very rarely and it really adds nothing of quality to the music. Oh,
yes, there is an abundance of horrid synth effects in certain tracks. The
worst cases of this synth can be heard in Xerox Copy and Water
Board. These tracks are really annoying and at best are nothing more
than just noise. There are two songs included that are performed by Sheryl
Crow which may be of interest to fans of her, but to the rest of us, they
are just as forgetful as the rest of the score.
Whether Newman was just following orders,
scoring on autopilot for a film he found himself despising, or simply
stretching some creative muscles in a way that would make Elliot Goldenthal
proud, this score is a major disappointment. There is absolutely no saving
grace for this soundtrack and all except for the most rabid Newman fans
should avoid it. **
