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Filmtracks Recommends:
Buy it... only if you are familiar with and enjoy John Williams' similarly subdued character drama scores for small ensembles in the late 1980's. Avoid it... if you expect any lasting impression to be made by this safely warm, but ultimately fluffy and mundane replacement score. Filmtracks Editorial Review:
The most interesting aspect of Williams' work for Stepmom is just how little family and holiday spirit exists in this score. No soaring splendor or light, Christmas-inspired percussion is to be heard, despite the holiday setting of the film. Instead, Williams approaches the film with a very soft touch, recording a mundane and safe crowd-pleaser that will be a much easier listening experience for most people than his Saving Private Ryan music from earlier in the year. The score embraces a warmth and coziness that had been lacking in many of Williams' epic and dramatic efforts of the decade. As per usual at the time, he teamed up with a distinguished and talented soloist for Stepmom, and the resulting performances by Christopher Parkening on guitar produce some superb tones to relax the soul. Even though he only contributes to about one third of the music in the film, his performances overshadow the lengthy atmospheric meanderings of piano, solo woodwind, and electronic chimes. The title theme takes time to fully extrapolate and appreciate; Stepmom has no single catchy moment. The mass majority of its underscore is offered by dreamy electronics and an orchestral string section under one of the aforementioned soloists. The few moments of lively personality are almost detractions from the consistency of the album. The rambling electronic baseline and dissonance in "The Soccer Game" will remind of JFK and Sleepers. The pompous, classical scherzo for "Isabel's Horse and Buggy" is a cute play by Williams, though perhaps itself a little to obvious. The remainder of the score is a frivolous, light-hearted, and not distinctly memorable listening experience. Hints of this score would manipulated to far greater heights in the early portions of A.I. Artificial Intelligence a few years later. Technically, the guitar is mixed very well with the ensemble. On album, a source song from yesteryear separates most of the score from its largely reprised "End Credits." Overall, the lack of distinctive personality in Williams' music here, although pleasant, has caused many film score fans to continue seeking the ever-elusive recordings of Pat Doyle for the film, despite their lack of success in the passing decade. ***
* Contains guitar solos by Christopher Parkening
The insert contains a note from director Chris Columbus about Williams, including the following excerpt:
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