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Composed, Conducted, and Produced by:
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David Newman
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Orchestrated by:
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Gregory Jamrok
Rebecca Liddle
David Newman
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Performed by:
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The Hollywood Studio Symphony
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Release Date:
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May 14th, 2002
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Availability:
Regular U.S. release.
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Filmtracks Editorial Review:
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Ice Age: (David Newman) A talented composer in many genres, David Newman
has the knack for providing energetic scores for films that normally wouldn't be
known best for those scores. An example of such a project is Ice Age,
which did moderately well in theatres before fading from mind. It hasn't
experienced the same longevity of Shrek or Monsters, Inc., and the
score has thus fallen by the wayside as a result. The album release of Newman's
music for Ice Age was also delayed until much of the hype surrounding the
film had fizzled, furthering the obscurity of Newman's lighthearted score. Die
hard fans of animated films, however, took note of several heightened score cues
and song uses that put an album for the film in demand. David Newman, more than
most other composers, has suffered from a very successful career without
enjoying much album success. As mentioned previously, much of his best work has
been produced for films that don't receive consideration for an album release,
and when there is high demand for a score album of his --such as was the case
with Galaxy Quest-- the album is only released in a limited, promotional
fashion.
In terms of scores specifically for animated pictures, Newman's Ice Age
is about a run of the mill, average piece. It is more of a semi-serious film
that resides in between the likes of Dinosaur and Shrek. It's that
sort of slapstick/serious genre of animation that Newman excels at. It isn't of
the same orchestral caliber of the James Newton Howard or (periodically) Hans
Zimmer, and it has more orchestral flesh to its action sequences than Randy
Newman can provide. David Newman has been sounding, in recent years, more and
more like Jerry Goldsmith in his composition and mixing of his brass. Ice
Age, thus, is highlighted by a handful of highly energized, Goldsmithian
action cues. The title theme is slightly underdeveloped, leaving the listener of
the album without a clear theme to remember. Much of Newman's best work for
Ice Age also utilized solo woodwind performances, such as those at the
beginning of the eleventh track on the album. Much as he did with Galaxy
Quest, Newman employs a very light, high-range chorus to provide accent to
his orchestra, and while they often add flavor to some of the cues of
underscore, that chorus is never fully realized with a thematic outburst. Other
than the occasional flutes, chorus, and the guitars/rhythm in the opening track,
the orchestration of Ice Age is rather mundane, with a few creatively
percussive cues, but an otherwise straight forward orchestral effort.
The lack of an overly-creative motif or instrumental accompaniment in Ice
Age is surprising. Newman's previous recent effort of note, The Affair of
the Necklace, had utilized a wide range of unique mixing and
instrumentation. Ice Age, while impressive in the sheer orchestral sound
that it sometimes creates, doesn't offer anything that film score collector's
haven't already heard. It's a step above the animation music that you hear on
television, but it doesn't attract the kind of attention to itself that feature
animation scores do these days. Its style is a pseudo-Western mix of lively
subthemes and slight parodies, but neither of these is distinctive from other
David Newman works. The piano solo at the beginning of the last track is a good
example of how Ice Age is a score that has a few very solid parts, but
with none so spectacular as to warrant a great amount of excitement. There are
perhaps five to eight minutes of very enjoyable material on this 30+ minute
album, with the majority being functional underscore for the film. Some people
have purchased the album for the song "Send Me on My Way" by Rusted Root (from
the album Cruel Sun), only to discover that it is not included on this
score-only album. Be aware that negative commentary about this score album at
online stores is likely due to the lack of that, and other songs. David Newman
fans will enjoy this album, though it still won't likely work its way to repeat
listens even if you're a considerable animation fan. A solid effort and easy
listen, but unremarkable in its lack of major theme or instrumentation. ***
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Viewer Ratings and Comments:
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• 1. Opening Travel Music (1:17)
• 2. Angered Rhinos (2:14)
• 3. Humans/Diego (1:43)
• 4. Tigers Going for Baby (3:12)
• 5. Dodos (0:42)
• 6. Fighting Over the Melons (2:01)
• 7. Walking Through (1:25)
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• 8. Baby's Wild Ride (1:56)
• 9. Checking Out the Cave (3:43)
• 10. Running from the Lava (2:27)
• 11. Baby Walks (1:34)
• 12. Tigers Try to Get Baby (5:41)
• 13. Giving Back the Baby (6:26)
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The insert includes a list of performers
in the Hollywood Studio Symphony, as well as credit information.
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