I just purchased the Patriot and thought I might share some of my thoughts on this score. I purchased The Patriot after deciding to sell my copy of the score to Seabiscuit. Seabiscuit is a nice, pleasant score which I am confident works well in the film, but is less likeable, in my humble opinion, listening to on album. I decided to exchange Seabiscuit for another score touted as "Americana," The Patriot, and I am not disappointed.

The score has a five star opening track, The Patriot, which is reprised again in the last track with an additional minute or so of music. My wife made the comment, and I agree, that this score is not as moving or diverse in instrumentation as James Horner's "Glory." I think one reasons why Glory stands out for me above The Patriot is because of its use of a chorus. The use of a chorus is missing from The Patriot, and it seems Williams employs this musical element more sparingly (although when he does it comes off fantastically---Duel of the Fates, Emperor's Throne Room, etc. Still, The Patriot has some endearing themes captured most magnificently in tracks 1, 4, 7, and 8. Overall, this is a great score to have in my collection and I much prefer it over Seabiscuit.

Here is my rating of the individual tracks:

1 *****
2 ***1/4
3 ***1/2
4 ****
5 *** (nice drums at the beginning)
6 ***1/2
7 ****
8 ***1/2 (soft and beautiful w/use of the harp)
9 **1/2
10 *** (an average action cue)
11 **
12 ***
13 ***
14 ***
15 ***
16 ***1/2
17 ***** (almost identical to track 1, but contains some drums and flutes at the end)

Next score on my list...Cutthroat Island...until then...

Travis