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The soundtrack's expansive reach is countered by moments of introversion and contemplation that exist in the same style of writing, creating a remarkably cohesive whole. Goldenthal employs a nucleus of several acoustic instruments native to the style of Mexican and greater Central American circles, including Mexican guitars, classical guitars, Mexican bass guitars, an accordion, Mexican harp, marimba, and glass armonica. Because the guitars turned out to provide more than adequate lyricism and rhythmic movement, Goldenthal adds only a small orchestral ensemble of primary strings to the mix. Also of vital importance to the construct are several vocal performances that very tactfully blend the motific ideas in the score and songs together seamlessly. Goldenthal explained at the time that it was a difficult task to capture the "spirit of Mexican music" since it varies so much around different regions of the country. However, his choice to stay true to the standard simplicity of rhythms and themes in Mexican music (a documented trait of the heritage of authentic Mexican music) translated into success. He states with humor, "The few times I tried to reach for more complex harmony and structure, the movie kicked me out with pointy Mexican boots. These ideas remain on my studio floor under a pile of empty Corona bottles." For people who cannot tolerate accordions, rest assured that they are only present at the forefront of two short cues, and one of them is as accompaniment to a great outburst of the score's main instrumental theme in "The Journey." The score sequences are pleasant and lively on the whole, with only the "Suicide of Dorothy Hale" and the gruesome "La Cavalera" (back to back) showing signs of the Goldenthal's more familiar brooding mannerisms. Otherwise, there is nothing to connect these fantastic Latin-flavored cues with Goldenthal's larger body of work. Given that the Frida album was immediately selling out in nearly every store and ranked very highly worldwide upon its release, this originality was probably a favorable turn of events regardless of what qualms established Goldenthal collectors had (and still harbor) about the work.

As interesting as the score selections (which appear scattered throughout the album) may be, so too are the songs. Traditional songs are a vital part of past and present Mexican culture, and they are central to this soundtrack as well. Goldenthal pays close attention to the indigenous songs that Kahlo would have probably listened to herself, based on era and subject matter. Chillingly, one of Frida's lovers was legendary singer Chavela Vargas, now in her 80's and a performer of new material for this film. The album presents a comparison of her performances forty years ago with her performances of the same songs today. Goldenthal composed a few original songs heard in the film, including material for Lila Downs and Caetano Veloso, whose voices grace the film with their spectacular authenticity. The album is very true to the music heard in the film, which is a rarity in soundtrack releases these days. The score and songs are seamless in their continuity, and although the film and album become more somber as they reach their conclusion, they both end with excellence. The duet "Burn It Blue" is a lovely and compelling compilation of Goldenthal's themes from the score, with additional harmonious development to create an elegant and strong finish to a diverse, emotional roller coaster of an album. That suite-like song was alone responsible for much of the magnificent response to the music for Frida (and consequently its album). The coordination of music, as well as the often spectacular recording quality of the songs, makes this album a definite winner. Its only weakness is the occasional shift back to older studio sound quality. An awards promotional CD with only the score selections and "Burn It Blue" exists, and while this presentation includes three additional score cues, it somewhat defeats the authenticity of the commercial album's presentation of the film's broader range of music. The enhanced features of that Universal product include video and text interviews with Goldenthal, Taymor, and Hayek about the music, as well as musical excerpts from the film. Overall, the texture and rhythmic breadth of this score is outstanding, and if you're only familiar with the composer's avant garde experimentation, Frida will cause you to gain an enormous amount of respect for the reach of Goldenthal's talents.  *****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Elliot Goldenthal reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.13 (in 16 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.2 (in 17,800 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

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