| The Four Feathers |
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Composed by James Horner |
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Orchestrated and Conducted by James Horner Vocals by Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Produced by James Horner, Simon Rhodes, and Tony Hinnigan Release Date: 2002 |
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Sometimes it's a pleasure to be proven wrong, especially when the end result is an album like this. For those familiar with the more recent scores from James Horner, his notoriety for re-hashing previously developed musical themes and signatures had seemed to reach an inevitable point in his career. With every new Horner score, the soundtrack community at large could almost predict exactly what material would be re-used. Whether stung by the criticisms that have been leveled in his direction over the years, or if he just got a little fed up with it himself, The Four Feathers is one of the most original Horner scores that has come out in quite a long time. Thankfully, being original doesn't translate into a new style that Horner cannot handle well. Not only is this score as original as they come for a Horner score, its great themes and emotional underpinning make it an excellent work as well. Admittedly, I wasn't too keen on this score when I gave it the first spin. It's certainly not in the same vein as The Rocketeer or Willow, instead serving a function more along the lines of A Beautiful Mind. While I liked that score fine enough, I wasn't thrilled about another score of that nature. But I found that after a couple run-throughs with the disc, the almost eighty-minute running time seemed to just fly-by, and I was still paying attention to the music. At the end, I found myself emotional moved by the score, which is one of the highest compliments I feel any musical work receive. The first notable element of the score is its heavy African influence. The vocal work by Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan (say that one ten times fast), really helps set this mood, and is essential in correctly placing the location of the story. At the same time, it sounds more realistic and less clichéd than, say, the typical Arabian styles that are usually churned out by Hollywood scores. A fuller African chorus would have been nice, but having not yet seen the film, it could have been a good decision to use just the lone vocalist. While Rahat's moments are interesting for the most part, the way Horner utilizes them in his chaotic tracks (Sniper!) really churn the ear and become no less than annoying after a short time. But even with the exotic element that Rahat provides to the score, the real winner her is the straight orchestral moments. Rarely do Horner's detractors question his deftness at scoring emotional pieces well, and this score is quite powerful in this regard. It makes it even better that his themes are refreshing, yet still as enjoyable. As to be expected, the heavy reliance on string work here is just as good as it has ever been in a Horner score, and the piano-driven moments accompany the music well, balancing a delightful mix between the African vocalizations and Western compositions. For those who've given up on Horner's scoring abilities, I highly recommend that they check this one out. Given the African setting, it may not appeal to everyone, but the conventional music should definitely please a lot of ears. For those who have stuck with the composer through all the bland or crappy scores that have been churned out over the last few years, The Four Feathers stands as a breath of fresh air that will bolster the spirits. ***** |
| Track Listing - Total Running Time: 79:18 | |
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