If there was one thing you could count on from McNeely for scores like Squanto: A Warrior's Tale and Iron Will in 1994 and then Gold Diggers, it's a robust and accessible series of orchestral themes. These three sibling scores are all entertaining, but whereas the two from the previous year maintain an emphasis on large-scale melodic grandeur, Gold Diggers concerns itself with sensitive character identities for softer symphonic renderings. It does feature a handful of significant action passages, each really indistinguishable from something you would have encountered in Iron Will. The "wholesome" factor has been cranked up to a greater level here, though, begging the comparisons to Horner's lighter touch for solo woodwinds and strings in a slightly whimsical environment. Extended sequences in Gold Diggers explore affable but mostly inconsequential variations on the score's main themes. Redemptive spirit overflows from these extremely palatable performances, "Bear Mountain" and "Molly Morgan's Gold" both building up to muscular renditions of that motif. The secondary character themes are not as memorable despite filling up space with pretty, piano-led versions of ideas heard in Williams' Hook. There is the quirky Irish material to contend with, too; the historical Molly Morgan character is treated to spirited fiddle and whistle music that is an early precursor for McNeely's consistently lovely Tinker Bell scores from many years later. Fortunately, these interludes and the action music in "The Great Rescue" finally begin to shed the Williams reliance that had defined McNeely's career thus far. The latter cue, in fact, contains music in its mid-section that clearly foreshadows The Avengers. Likewise, the acoustic guitar in "Into the Lake" offers a more uniquely parochial spirit. One constant that is so saturating in Gold Diggers that it becomes irritating is McNeely's perpetual tingling of light percussion. There is so much triangle contribution to this score that you might think you've got pixie dust stuck in your ears. One of the reasons why this element is so evident is because of an unusually strong recording and mix of the score for McNeely; his outdoors music from the 1990's doesn't always translate well to album for a variety of mix-related reasons, but Gold Diggers at least sounds very good. If you're looking for a place to start with this specific genre of music from McNeely, Squanto and Iron Will are still better places to start, because Gold Diggers does tend to drag in several cues. Regardless, its sound is more original and will reliably lift your spirits.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download