Published on Dec 19, 1998
One of the most difficult things I experience when I try to
review soundtracks is that I’ve often not seen the corresponding
movie. While I can often get an idea of where the song fits in the
movie based on the style of music, the tempo and the title of the
track, I’m still somewhat at a disadvantage. Such is the case with
the soundtrack for the film
Meet Joe Black.
Oh, it’s not that I think Thomas Newman failed to convey the
dark mood of the film (at least what I’ve read about it) – no,
Newman’s music is superb and beautiful. (In fact, allow me to offer
this word of advice: Don’t listen to this album if you’re feeling
sad; the music has the tendency to amplify those feelings.
First-hand knowledge here.) But unless you’ve seen the film, this
is less of a soundtrack and more of a collection of rich mood music
– not a bad thing in and of itself, but not the album’s primary
purpose.
I’ll get the one criticism out of the way early: It seems
strange to me that, on an album of somber orchestral music, a few
upbeat swing numbers would be included. “Cheek To Cheek” thrown in
where it is happens to be a rather rude jolt to the system that has
gotten used to a more introspective style of music. Again, I’m
freely admitting that I might understand the inclusion of these
songs had I seen the movie.)
Otherwise, the songs that make up
Meet Joe Black are some of the most beautiful songs I’ve
heard in the world of film music in some time. From the opening
moments of “Yes” to the ten-minute journey of “That Next Place” at
the other end of the disc, this soundtrack captures some wonderfuly
poignant moments that form the picture of a man preparing himself
for his upcoming death. Some of the titles are a bit confusing
(“Peanut Butter Man”? “Cold Lamb Sandwich”? For that matter, would
you really want to refer to “lamb” in any movie with Anthony
Hopkins these days? “Hannibal Lechter”, anyone?), but I found
myself relying less on the titles and more on the music itself on
this disc.
And while it sometimes feels that some pieces on this soundtrack
are much too short, the whole disc moves briskly, never getting too
weighed down in its subject matter. Even the closing version of
“Somewhere Over The Rainbow / What A Wonderful World” (performed by
Israel Kamakawiwo’ole – the only vocal performance on the album)
rings through in its sparse arrangement – something that works well
for this particular soundtrack.
Naysayers can speculate all they want on why the film hasn’t
lived up to its expectations, but just on the soundtrack alone,
Meet Joe Black shows a lot of promise. If you are a fan of
rich orchestration and powerful, moody pieces, you’ll love this
disc.