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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... only if you are a maintaining a complete James Horner collection and are not bothered by his repetition of style and theme from his other efforts. Avoid it... if 26 minutes of pleasant, but monothematic Americana strings and piano from Horner (with twelve 1960's R&B songs) doesn't constitute an album purchase. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
Outside of India.Arie's effective accompaniment in the score and title song for Radio, however, Horner misses the R&B mark completely. Depending on how strongly you feel that this film is a 'racial-healing melodrama,' this lack of consistency between style of the songs and score may be disturbing. Instead of making much of an attempt to incorporate any rhythm or any blues, Horner revisits familiar territory. He scores Radio with the same attention to Americana as he did with his early 1990's dramatic efforts, including Searching for Bobby Fischer and The Man Without a Face. It's often a gorgeous sound, with lush strings, repetitive thematic development, and easy harmony at every turn. But if critics blasted the film for being too syrupy, then Horner could very well be responsible for that result. He doesn't rip himself off in lengthy segments --as critics of his will want to know right off the bat-- but everything goes through familiar motions. The most evident Hornerism at work in Radio is the statement of the theme followed by the low rumble of the bass whole note to complete the chord (often led by a piano) a measure later. It's Horner's way of saying, 'this theme and this note is important,' and this method of conveying dramatic weight does get tiresome in its application. There is nothing in Horner's easy-going work here to distinguish Radio from other, lengthier projects of a similar heart. In the "Night Game" cue, he does let rip with an electric guitar and snare drum, but the majority of the underscore is held in place by pleasant strings and the omnipresent piano. If you're looking for truly inspiring music (especially in the sports arena), then Radio is the wrong place to look, because this score was never meant to inspire in the same way as Jerry Goldsmith's landmark sports score for Rudy. The soul vocals by India.Arie are enjoyable, although their simplicity is compounded in the mundane end credits song (an adaptation of Horner's theme) that is labeled as the primary song of the film. On album, the slight, 26 minutes of Horner material is probably not worth the investment when considering the general lack of originality offered in his pleasant, but basic presentation. **
* featuring vocals by India.Arie
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