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Generally speaking, the level of pure zaniness is reduced in the score for Inside Out 2, Giacchino's frequent, wild swings in the genre and style of music toned back a bit. The combination of vibraphone, Hammond organ, electric bass, harmonica, ukulele, and ocarina for Giacchino's retro approach is somewhat replaced by a more streamlined orchestral stance alongside rock elements to suggest the girl's passage into teenage years. Some of the retro elements survive at times, but they no longer define the score's zesty flavor. Listeners wishing to hear more of that frenzied, nearly Danny Elfman-like insanity will be pleased by its adaptation in challenging shades in "Demo Day," a suspense mode in "Sending Out an S.o.S.," and a silly venture towards analog sound in "Bloofy & Co." before an eruption of jazz at the end of that cue. The Mickey Mousing tendencies burst forth at times, as in the children's action in "Flight for Fighting" with hints of the rock element, but Datzman is careful to provide a few faithful reprises of Giacchino's carnivalesque mode in "Return to Imagination Land" and during the full orchestral ruckus in "What's the Big Idea?" Countering these cues is the aforementioned new rock element, which largely dominates "Go Team," "Thread the Needle," "Red Hairing," "The Puck Drops Here," and "Inside Outro" while only opening "Done Track Mind." Thematically, not all of Giacchino's multitudes of themes are afforded additional treatment in Inside Out 2, and most short-changed is the composer's idea for the zaniness of all of Riley's assembly of emotions that featured far more prominently before. For most casual listeners, though, the pretty and unassuming main theme for Riley herself will represent the most important carryover. This soothing identity occupies all of "Outside Intro" on quiet keyboarding as the bridge between scores. It becomes more chipper with clapping effects in "The Life of Riley" and attempts to reassert in "To Project and Disserve," succeeding in full ensemble tones at the cue's end. Riley's theme returns to bring optimistic cheer to the middle of "Glide and Joy," shifts into the rock realm in "Inside Outro" as expected for the maturing character, and follows a survey of the score's comedy meanderings in the middle of "Done Track Mind," this score's equivalent of Giacchino's comprehensive credits suite from the previous score.

Countering the explicit references to Giacchino's existing themes is a pair of new identities, one clearly meant to define Inside Out 2 as a whole. Datzman writes an alternative Riley theme to represent her friendships in the sequel, a charming and effective theme for piano but not an immediately memorable one. It is introduced in the second half of "The Life of Riley" on that instrument, emerges from it once again in the middle of "Creating a Sense of Self," and is exuberant early in "Ride and Prejudice." This theme is set to the paces far more than any other in the work, adapted extensively for various emotional situations such as its struggles in the latter half of "Seeking Val-idation." It elegantly rolls through much of "Fawn of a New Day," teases at the outset of "Recovering a Sense of Self" on brass and woodwinds, and is sparse on piano in "Joyless," building to a defiant note at the end of the cue. The friendship theme becomes an action motif in the middle of "The Puck Drops Here," interrupts the turbulence on piano early in "Growing Up is Hard to Do," and serves as counterpoint to the main Giacchino theme for Riley in "Glide and Joy," a great touch to bring the two ideas together. Datzman shifts the friendship theme to acoustic guitar early in "Every Messy, Beautiful Part of Her" before the piano's return, and the theme receives significant positive treatment later in the cue. In the suite arrangement of "Done Track Mind," this idea builds immediately out of the main Riley theme in the latter half of the long recording, the two mingling thereafter in relative comfort. It's hard to say if any casual listeners will find Datzman's new friendship theme to be as distinctive as Giacchino's similarly devised representation of Riley as a whole, but the two serve their purpose together well in this work. The other new theme of interest in Inside Out 2 is more of a prickly and skittish motif in "Anxious to Meet You" and "Seeking Val-idation" that represents the emotion of anxiety. It is expanded to full-fledged panic in "A Mind at Freeze" and follows the rock material early in "Done Track Mind." Overall, Datzman's sequel score is an intelligent advancement of the first score's style and narrative, and your appreciation for the music for Inside Out 2 on album will largely depend upon your level of engagement with the first score's similar style. At the least, Datzman proves her solo chops in the mainstream spotlight, and for that alone, Giacchino enthusiasts should be both relieved and excited to hear what she can produce when branching off on her own.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Total Time: 67:21