After Newman`s - IMO - very disappointing scores to THE HELP and THE IRON LADY I was really looking forward to this score. The movie has good reviews and a very emotional and funny story with an exotic location. I thought that this would give Newman a chance to come up with some emotional music and some interesting themes. But after forcing myself to sit through whole CD, I have to say that it is actually the worst oft the three scores. Boring indian "atmosphere-muzak" with drum loops and without any theme. It has everything that`s so boring and dull about today`s film music. I don`t think I will ever listen to that score again.
It's funny that you posted this because I've been listening to this one for the last several nights and just sent an email to one of my soundtrack friends where I said I was surprised that I really like it! I would have thought that the sitar, Indian vocals, and loops would have just about killed this for me, but low and behold I liked the grooves and how they blended with Newman's more traditional string writing.
I'll agree that it might be my least favorite of the three scores you mentioned, but then I really enjoyed the score albums for both THE HELP and THE IRON LADY. The latter in particular has a number of great themes that, while not as good as Newman in the 90s, are way more interesting and pleasurable to me than much of his work in recent years.
Listening to this now via spotify. It's exactly what I would have imagined. That Thomas Newman vibe allied to some Indian instrumentation. There are some quite lovely cues though. Chimes At Midnight stood out as very nice and the last track was memorable. It's been some time since a Thomas Newman score really dazzled or surprised me. Parts of WALL-E and LEMONY SNICKETT were very likeable, but I'd probably have to go back to FINDING NEMO as the last Thomas Newman score that made me go 'aaaahhhhhhhh'. Then again, I could say the same for many a composer *cough*Silvestri*cough*
Listening again (and again via Spotify) and I really liked tracks 3, 15, 17, 19, 20 and 21. A nice blend of Asian style music filtered through that Thomas Newman sound. Re-reading above, I forgot to mention Road To Perdition in the 'latest, greatest Tom Newman' scores.
This to me was probably the last great film score.
Simply superb album - entertaining music. This was the most recent great Newman score to me, most of his scores since this has been solid, good, but nothing beyond good.
The album works as well as a standalone concept album away from the film other than just a film score - a rare achievement for film scores.
Newman also singled out this score as the score he likes the most out of more recent scores he has done (interview from 2013):
Are there any of your soundtracks you’re particularly proud of?
Newman: You mean if I put on a CD of my own? I've really enjoyed the music to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011). John Madden's the director, and a really great collaborator. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) I think is a really strong score. I look back on a lot of them and it’s still a joy listening to a lot of the music.
But true, the 90s was by far Newman's best decade.
