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The album for Cars contains half an hour of songs and only about 20 minutes of score, but with a project as predictable for Newman as this, 20 minutes is really all that's needed. Orchestrally vibrant, Newman's score will be largely familiar to listeners of his other animated film scores, deviating in only a few places for individual cars' personalities. The ensemble is on the lighter side, aided by the bounce of its own enthusiasm, though certain more robust cues suffer from a lack of rumbling depth. Occasional drum pad or synthetic bass enhancement can be heard in cues such as the climactic "Piston Cup," but for the most part, Cars is a lightweight derivative of the Western styles of Maverick, among others. Had Cars let loose with the same ambient muscularity of the stagecoach chase in Maverick, it would have been a far more engaging listening experience on album. As it stands, a cue like "Pre-Race Pageantry" borders on being a flighty parody of John Williams' "Flag Parade" cue from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Newman does avoid the outright parody styles of John Debney's recent blockbuster animation music, though detractors of Randy Newman could say accurately that Cars is yet another parody of himself. There are a few moments of fresh life in Cars that should be mentioned, however, and their inclusion assist the score in rising above its tendency to bore. Slight character-specific instrumentation, as in the Dukes of Hazzard-inspired "Bessie" cue with slide guitar and ultra-lazy rhythms to the more ambitious acoustic guitar rhythms in "McQueen and Sally" pump life into the scene. The most interesting cue by far is the "Opening Race," which interrupts Newman's usual playful orchestral overture with a rocking pair of electric guitars and band percussion. Unfortunately, this adaptation of style from the film's songs is curiously absent from the rest of the score, despite the fact that such an orchestral and rock blend could have served the film quite well. On the whole, however, the score's themes and orchestration are highly derivative of Newman's other fluffy animation works, sparking as much excitement as a mid-90's Toyota Camry.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Randy Newman reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.15 (in 20 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.1 (in 22,920 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

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