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•	1995 Hollywood Album

Airy and free-floating, Il Postino's music is surprisingly catchy and addictive in its ability to convey the lifestyles on an isolated Italian island. From the authenticity of spirit in the use of mandolins and a bandoneon to the romantic flavor of the string quartets, every expectation is played upon with pleasant success. To say that the score is small in scale would be technically correct, but it more than compensates with its infectious personality. One detraction may be the extremely repetitive nature of the main theme and auxiliary motifs throughout the effort, sometimes stretching a person's tolerance on album during the endless rephrasing of the theme through different instrumental combinations. The most snazzy performances of melody accompany the cues "The Postman's Dreams" and "Milonga del Poeta," which present the primary theme with extra woodwinds and percussive accompaniment. In these more developed performances of the theme, the score is extremely enjoyable. A certain flair in the performances by the piano especially keep the sound fresh. An older pop rendition of a motif, as well as a straight jazz piece ("Loved by Women"), offer breaks from the consistent statements of the title theme. Ultimately, the overall work's best impressions on the listener are formed during the most upbeat and enthusiastic performances of that theme, producing an album experience much like Nicola Piovani's Life is Beautiful. The Il Postino score has existed on several albums, both in America and Italy. The Americans have the album courtesy of Hollywood Records, and during the production process of the soundtrack, it was discovered (almost by accident) that several major actors and actresses were fans of Pablo Neruda's poetry (led by Julia Roberts), and, as a result, a collection of his poetry read by these artists is included on the album. Set with Bacalov's intrinsically fitting music in the background, most of these readings are excellent, though a few of the voices (and Wesley Snipes in particular) don't have the romantic swing in their inflection to pull it off. The score by itself was presented a few times on album by the C.A.M. label in Italy. Most recently, that group issued a 2002 release with an extra seven-minute bonus track featuring a performance of the main themes by the Giovanni Tommaso/Enrico Rava Quartet. Only collectors of Bacalov and the Mediterranean genre should consider seeking the C.A.M. albums, however, because the poetry and score together will likely hold more interest and appeal to American audiences. Overall, Il Postino is a charming score that's taken far too much abuse from Horner fans for its Oscar win. It really does tend to be pleasantly infectious.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download