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Whether or not Burwell is to blame could be debated, but it is probably safe to say that the composer was stuck balancing two musical styles that have nothing in common, and not even one of the top composers in the industry could have pulled it off. Burwell takes a medium sized orchestra and uses it to make simplistic fanfares to accompany the time period, and in the process utilizes a series of awkward chord progressions to portray the medieval setting at a basic level of functionality. The composer's style has never been one of fluidity in its grand thematic constructs, and that tendency to stomp rather than flow is a major detriment here. For the showdown and competition cues, Burwell pulls the fast, almost Western-like rhythm out of The Hi-Lo Country and inserts it into A Knight's Tale, producing a sudden burst of energy that is equally enjoyable in parts, though completely out of context with the rest of the score. A lack of originality in these cues is a disappointment, because Burwell doesn't make much of an attempt to mask his references to the rhythms and instrumentation of both The Hi-Lo Country and Conspiracy Theory. Thematically, Burwell does establish the noble title theme on brass for the hero, a sensitive love theme on guitar, harp, and strings for the two-dimensional romance in the story, and an octave-hopping minor-key motif for antagonist. His use of all of these themes is quite consistent and, in the majority of their orchestral performances, they hold the work together. But the music for A Knight's Tale as a whole suffers from problems inherent in mixing instrumentation, rhythms, and chord progressions from two uncompromising musical styles into one messy product. No better of an example is there than the combination of "Cooked Patents" and "A New Worship," which tries unsuccessfully to merge medieval themes and instruments with rock and disco rhythms (the type that would make Lalo Schifrin proud), electric guitars, and a choir, causing the potential for any listener to suffer a case of the giggles. If not for the ineffective attempts to insert traditional woodwind solos into the mix, the music would have been better suited for a contemporary urban comedy or romance film.

Defenders of this score will point to the several flourishes of orchestral bombast as a saving grace. The many brass fanfares, however, lack even a fraction of the resonating power of those from such a score as Jerry Goldsmith's First Knight. The performing group seems unenthusiastic and poorly mixed, causing period music that sounds more appropriate for a Mel Brooks comedy set in the era than anything to be taken seriously. The many source-like dance pieces and other marginally related period performances are a major detraction on the album, usually separating the tolerable orchestral pieces with mindless rhythmic noise. The better orchestral cues on the album are those that don't relate to the pumped up action scenes. The straight romantic cues, with an acoustic guitar and a reasonably affectionate love theme, are an enjoyable listen. You unfortunately have to sift through the awkward muck of elevated volume to get to cues like "Guinevere Comes to Lancelot." Ironically, A Knight's Tale is still one of Burwell's somewhat larger attempts at writing an orchestral theme of heroism, and one has to believe that a larger, better utilized ensemble could have done great justice to the action cues as written for the film. Most initial copies of the album had a sticker on the front of the jewel case that referred to Burwell's score as "Heroic. Romantic. The Rousing and Beautiful Score..." Well, don't let the marketing hounds fool you. This is no Legends of the Fall, nor was it meant to be. The advertised centerpieces of Burwell's effort were the two "St. Vitus' Dance" tracks, neither being very tolerable, and the second of which is peppered with two minutes of hidden dialogue from the film (at the very end of the album). As a companion album for the film, this product will not work as well as the song album for the hoards of youth seeking the material from Queen and ACDC, among others, that so blatantly stood out in the film. For serious score fans, this album represents the evidence of the buffoonery of modern studio flicks, aiming unintelligent fantasy and romance stories at an eager teenage audience willing to suspend any rational thought. Burwell has done significantly better in genres better suited to his style of writing.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Carter Burwell reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 2.84 (in 19 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 2.82 (in 11,704 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 43:19