Conducted by Pete Anthony

Produced by Robert Rodriguez and George Oldziey

Release Date: September 9, 2003

               Milan Records
 

     Robert Rodriguez, self-described “guerilla filmmaker”, adds the finishing touch to his three film El Mariachi saga with Once Upon a Time In Mexico. In addition to writing, directing, shooting, and editing, Rodriguez also scored his film, though he was assisted by several capable music groups and even some of his stars as well. The resulting album (which Rodriguez also produced) is an entertaining foray into the oft-neglected world of Hispanic flavored music. The end result is quite an entertaining soundtrack album that proves to be a unique approach from what is to be found in other mainstream scores.

     A quick glance at the track listing would show the album as being primarily filled with songs and only a handful of score cues. While the songs do take up a lot of the running time, everything is well-sequenced and they pretty much all seem like they would be found in the film itself. Stylistically, the album is pretty solid and there are no jarring breaks when a song ends a Rodriguez scored orchestral cue begins. The CD opens with Malagueña, a traditional work that last saw some duty as a motif of sorts in James Horner’s The Mask of Zorro. Anyone familiar with its appearance in that score will probably be a bit taken aback by the heavy guitar performance here, and at almost four-and-a-half minutes in length, it soon wears itself out.

     Thankfully, that is one of the few times I felt a song didn’t work well. The others, even though I can’t understand the Spanish lyrics, are varied and spirited enough to be interesting. My favorite though would have to be the Juno Reactor piece, Pistolero. Though techo-Hispanic mixing is something I’ve not really heard before, it generally follows the same techno structure that was all over The Matrix Reloaded. In a cool twist, the theme for Johnny Depp’s character was actually written by the actor himself (with help from three other artists) and is performed here by Tonto’s Giant Nuts. It’s not a bad theme at all, though most of it tends to simply repeat the same musical phrase over and over again until the end of the cue.

     In between the songs are Rodriguez’s orchestral cues, recorded at Skywalker Sound no less! These moments are generally some of the best music on the album, and though there is nothing really ground-breaking here, Rodriguez is no slouch when it comes to composing music for his films, and the Hispanic flavoring that he brings to the orchestra is unique and appreciated. It should also be noted that there are several amusing quotes scattered about, though never over the music and usually located at the end of a cue. Their appearance may turn off some, but I felt they worked towards increasing the enjoyment factor of the album.

     Once Upon A Time in Mexico is by no means a ground-breaking score. At the same time however, if you’re looking for something to break the mold, or you just want to hear an enjoyable Hispanic score from a director who does almost everything, then definitely check this one out.

1 - Malagueña (by Brian Setzer) (4:22)

2 - Traeme Paz (by Patricia Vonne) (2:56)

3 - Eye Patch (1:51)

4 - Yo Te Quiero (by Marcus Loya) (3:48)

5 - Guitar Town (2:04)

6 - Church Shootout (1:38)

7 - Pistolero (by Juno Reactor) (3:38)

8 - Me Gustas Tu (by Manu Chao) (3:49)

9 - Sands Theme (by Tonto's Giant Nuts) (3:24)

10 - Dias de Los Angeles (by Del Castillo) (5:08)

11 - The Man With No Eyes (2:09)

12 - Mariachi vs. Marquez (1:33)

13 - Flor De Mal (by Tito Larriva and Steven Hufsteter) (3:13)

14 - Chicle Boy (1:30)

15 - Coup De Etat (3:02)

16 - El Mariachi (1:22)

17 - Siente Mi Amor (by Salma Hayek) (4:24)

18 - Cuka Rocka (bonus track) (by Chingón) (1:44)