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By adding his own narrative flair of symphonic breadth to Descalzos, however, Leanizbarrutia elevates these melodies with his trademark dramatic gravity. Although the film clocks in at 105 minutes, the soundtrack album runs for a mere 32 minutes of pertinent highlights, and only 11 of that time is contained in cues written by Leanizbarrutia without any overt influence by the Hakuna songs. But the adapted cues also contain vital orchestral renditions that are saturated with the composer's own musical voice. The emphasis on solo cello extends from Claret, with violin in an even more prominent role here, while the personality of the acoustic guitar carries over from Petra de San José; and, while the new choral additions aren't as impressive as in Libres, they do offer a lighter touch as demanded by this topic for the composer's original theme. As all three of those scores are of solid quality, especially with substantial consistency in Claret, you can be confident that similar quality persists in the composer's approach to Descalzos. The mix of these elements remains an outstanding characteristic of execution from Leanizbarrutia, his ability to capture a somewhat wet and engrossing presence from the layered soloists never muddied by the ensemble in the background. His handling of solo vocals is particularly confirmed in this regard. Remarkable performance inflection from the string soloists always helps, too. While the otherwise score-oriented tracks do break into the existing songs themselves at times, the transitions are meant to be seamless and augment the sung portions with the force of the orchestra behind them in some cases. At other moments, the original instrumentation and vocal performances are reprised wholesale, and some listeners unfamiliar with and uninterested in the group's material may not find as much merit in those arguably abrasive transitions. But such work required care from Leanizbarrutia to blend the two halves, in one notable case splitting a song in two with a symphonic interlude in the middle.

The song adaptations in Descalzos start right away in "Introducción" with the composer's acoustic guitar, piano, and solo string establishment of the emotionally powerful melody of the 2023 song "Nacidos de lo Alto," including its built-in crescendo formations for dramatic effect. The resonance of the ensemble is outstanding in this cue, though the move directly into the rock song without instrumental continuation is perhaps the soundtrack's toughest transition even though the key and timing of the shift are perfect. The prettiest melody in Descalzos by far comes in the adaptation of the group's 2022 hit "Noche," for which Leanizbarrutia provides an impressive orchestral extension in "Hora Santa." This is where the acoustic guitar really comes into play, though enthusiasts of the composer's string work will appreciate his build-up to the song vocalizations that exist only in the second half of the long cue. The guitar presence inherent in the song yields to a large string rendition of the melody in between the two insertions of the vocals, and this dramatic presence continues into the second application of the song. An interesting deviation from the equation comes in "Ser Como Niños," which uses the melodic foundations of the group's 2022 song "Descalzos" (which headlined that album with "Noche") but not the actual lines of the song itself. The cue is restrained, albeit quite pretty in that it supplies something of an instrumental backing for the song but only allows the solo violin and cello a passage of the actual melody over soothing choir. The other song adapted into Descalzos is the feel-good entry, "Trueno," which comes from 2024 and was the only one to inherently include an orchestral base to its second half prior to its appearance here. In "Final," the solo strings are again unleashed with more rumbling depth from percussion and the rest of the ensemble for an atmosphere of gravity. (Brass is limited to supporting roles in this recording, but it accomplishes that task particularly well in this cue, including a brief moment of melodic highlight.) With a momentous timpani roll near the final minute, the cue transitions into the original song's large-scale closing, which fits well with the score.

The three original score cues on the Descalzos album highlight Leanizbarrutia's own main theme for the work, and it's clearly typical to the lyrical sensibilities he has shown through the 2020's to this point. The most substantial and satisfying development of this pleasant idea comes in "El Sentido de la Maravilla." This cue combines the composer's instrumental soloists with both solo and ensemble choral additions that develop into a performance for the latter at the end that aspires to match the appeal of the songs from a more traditional and wholesome direction despite its addition of more contemporary metallic percussive tones. Film score collectors will prefer the lovely solo vocals surrounding this moment in the cue. The main theme is explored further in "Necesidad de Expresión," where it is the focused domain of the solo cello on top of an ultra-melodramatic culmination of string power for a beefy passage. The soundtrack's most distinctive diversion comes in "Creación," a sequence of subtle respite that allows an oboe to highlight more ethereal vocal ambience of contemplation over rattling percussion. This passage likely addresses the element of nature in the story and is sufficient at its task without drawing much attention to itself. Together, the two long cues featuring Leanizbarrutia's main theme and his extensive instrumental introductions to the songs are worthy of high praise overall. As a listening experience, film music collectors won't receive the same consistency that the composer's prior faith-based dramas brought to their impressive albums, but his task with Descalzos was completely different. Adapting the Hakuna songs into his own musical vocabulary and bringing the two together is no easy endeavor, but he succeeds extremely well. For those English-speakers not in tune with the Catholic-informed intent of the messaging behind the songs, it may be a blessing that all of them are obviously in Spanish. The album is too short to really sustain the mood, but that doesn't stop you from continuing to appreciate Leanizbarrutia's ascension in the field. This music reinforces that he has more than earned the right to mainstream scoring assignments of greater recognition.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Total Time: 31:36