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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... if you love the ruckus and energy of a fully orchestral and choral swashbuckling score of thematic magnificence. Avoid it... if the repetition of countless swashbuckling cliches played in full force by a modern ensemble leaves you searching for your old Erich W. Korngold scores. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
To say that Gregson-Williams' score for Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is a generic swashbuckling effort is an injustice. The music does utilize many cliches and stereotypical pirate-music motifs and thematic swings, but Gregson-Williams compensates by injecting the score with unrelenting energy and enthusiasm. For over an hour, the score explodes with so much vitality that it places the listener himself/herself onto a ship on stormy seas during all of the action. It's a score that won't impress you with its fresh thematic ideas, but rather their execution. Gregson-Williams' composition itself is strong. The title theme, as well as several secondary motifs, is very appropriate for the genre, and he inserts female voices brilliantly throughout the score to represent Eris, the evil God of Chaos. The full chorus of the Metro Voices of London functions to serve the fantasy elements of the score as well. Several of the themes by Gregson-Williams are malleable enough to be interpreted for quieter, more contemplative moments, such as the fine flute solo in the "Is It the Shore or the Sea?" cue. Most of the time, however, the themes are blazing at full speeds that likely put the brass performers out of breath after a few hours of recording. And this is where the success comes from. Composers can't create all of the life required in a score by themselves; often it is the conductor that has to accurately and emotionally inspire the orchestra to perform with vigor. In the case of Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, Gregson-Williams himself conducted the score, and given the overwhelmingly positive response from the orchestral players in their resulting performance, one wonders what kind of jig that Gregson-Williams must have danced in front of them to get them in the sword fighting mood. In an era when studio orchestras produced uninspired scores by the dozens, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas comes to life and envelopes the listener with the sheer magnitude of its power and frenetic enthusiasm. If you thought that the "Building the Crate" cue in Chicken Run had energy, just wait for this one. The more lovable aspect of Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is Gregson-Williams' use of the adult chorus, and female members more specifically, to add spirit to the enchanting elements of the seas, as well as Eris. The prancing vocal accents by Lisbeth Scott culminate into a cue for the "Sirens" which adds three more voices interwoven into a waltz-like song of seduction and comedy. The full chorus performs a variety of fantastic background roles and thematic expressions during nearly every cue. The fluidity of their performances ranges from bouncing, rhythmic requirements for comedy scenes to thematic accompaniment on a large scale that equals the finale cue of Chicken Run. Even more impressive about Gregson-Williams' score is its consistency from start to end. With over an hour of running time on album, there is no stumble, no flaw in his work. Thus, the album is a remarkably enjoyable listening experience from start to end, featuring no songs (a delightful surprise!) and a generous quantity of substantive music. Even in moments of despair or dialogue, when any score would be banished to the realm of unimposing underscore duties, Gregson-Williams' finds a way to continuously state themes with a gorgeous solo instrument, or tighten the suspense with an always active string section or faint timpani roll. With a lively, thematic score that has no apparent weaknesses, your enjoyment of that work as a listener depends on your tolerance of that swashbuckling style of themes and motifs. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas is so saturated with that unyielding enthusiasm and stylistic cliches of the high seas that you may find yourself overwhelmed and irritated by its massive waves of sound. Otherwise, if you wave an ounce of high seas adventure in your blood, then this score will strike the same chord, if not a better one, than John Debney's Cutthroat Island, which will now be challenged as the best score of the genre in the modern era. Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas, at the very least, surpasses all of Gregson-Williams' collaborative efforts with Powell, and stands as the strongest score for a Dreamworks animation film --or those from any other studio-- in a long time. *****
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