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In a parallel universe, McKenzie truly could have been the Georges Delerue of a generation, his typically lyrical music gracing too few films in between his steady work as an orchestrator. Projects like Max & Me are bittersweet for collectors because of such "what if?" questions about the man's career, but there is no doubt that this score and 2011's The Greatest Miracle at least begin to satisfy demand for McKenzie's voice. The blatantly religious aspect of these scores may present some problems for those listeners for whom music of pious grandeur is so purely rendered, and the potentially oversaturated wholesomeness of its tone could induce eye-rolling from more cynical types. But these are shamelessly lovely scores meant to glorify everything good about faith and directly drive home the messages of the stories without a hint of ambiguity. The recording ensemble for Max & Me is even more ambitious than that for The Greatest Miracle, taking a sizable London orchestral ensemble and accompanying adult and boys' choirs and adding famed violinist Joshua Bell to a list of soloists that include voice, piano, guitar, and recorder. The contributions from each of these artists is somewhat brief, Bell limited to three short cues and not participating in the score's more voluminous ensemble passages. The guitar and piano are particularly vital to the contemporary setting, especially in its more bubbly, optimistic moments. The recorder's role of lamentation for the historical passages is matched by a solo gypsy vocalist; their passages are often too brief. McKenzie relies upon the weight of the strings, with varied brass accompaniment, in the Nazi-related cues, preferring rousingly robust rhythmic stirring to carry the dread of such scenes. By the time listeners receive the "ascension payoff" at the end, the composer adds pipe organ and heralding trumpets in super-heroic Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde fashion. Aside from the minimal discord heard in "Nazi Brutality" and "Auschwitz Cries," McKenzie keeps the score very accessible in its tonal structures. The intent was clearly to express unmitigated tenderness and beauty at all times possible, and the spirit of Max & Me is therefore heartbreakingly pretty to an excess. Don't expect much texture to the rendering of any of the themes in the score, each presentation simplistic and varying only in amplification with additional players within complimentary chords. Thematically, the work meanders much like The Greatest Miracle does but McKenzie remains more consistent in his development of several recurring ideas this time.

The primary theme of Max & Me is introduced at the outset of "Two Crowns Vision" and consists of two five-note phrases and a repeating three-note secondary phrase, their major-key goodness never to be questioned. Often the bait for lofty choir, this theme mingles with solo female voice and softens to solo piano in "If You Are So Intelligent Why Don't You Believe?" before previewing its massive climax in the epic triangle-rambling crescendos of "Dare to Dream Bigger" and "Triumph Over Fear." Bell offers his solo rendition of the theme in "I Love You." The utterly magnificent conclusion of this theme in "Heaven's Welcome" confirms it as the institutionally heavy representation of higher powers in the score, though by the time trumpets and organ blast away in this cue, the idea does become rather humorously bloated if you're not totally absorbed by the experience. The second, more prominent theme in Max & Me actually takes until "A Mother's Prayer" to fully reveal itself, and its duties seem better oriented towards representing perseverance through personal spirituality. As Bell enunciates this theme in that cue, listeners will note that McKenzie opens this melody with the same five note phrase from his equivalent theme from The Greatest Miracle (as heard in the final moments of the "Prelude" suite from that score); whereas the idea resolves itself quickly in the prior work, the opening phrase continues to ascend the octaves this time around. It's a nice connection, even if coincidental. This theme returns in the second half of "Nazi Brutality" and in conjunction with Bell's performance of the main theme in "I Love You." A third identity in the score is a weighty one of grim historical significance, likely accompanying the Polish priest on his journey. This idea is expressed by Bell alone in "I Am" and returns on thoughtful strings in the middle of "If You Are So Intelligent Why Don't You Believe?" and likewise in "Only Love is Creative." The theme's suffering tone continues early in "Triumph Over Fear" before logically being overtaken by the main theme of greater power. Perhaps lost in the shuffle of all the historical and religious material in Max & Me is a fair amount of highly affable and light-hearted music for the teenage boy and his relations in the present day. A humous, plucky intro to these passages occupies "When I'm Saying Me I Mean You" and opens "Dapper Duds" before segueing in the latter cue to a piano-led theme of family that is arguably the hidden gem of this score.

The piano, guitar, and clarinet performances in "Dapper Duds" are genuinely sublime. Associated variations carry over on piano to "Sunset Hug" and guitar in "I'm Sorry." The main family melody from "Dapper Duds" returns in "I Believe in You," albeit with an incredibly distracting performance error from the piano at 0:26 into the cue. The string section develops this idea to a weightier resolution better matched with the surrounding spiritual material. Other, more singular melodic passages exist throughout Max & Me, led by the soothing choral idea in "Head in the Clouds Over You" and the aspirational solo boy passage opening "You Could be Anything." McKenzie doesn't allow a moment to pass without some melodic exploration, and that's an obvious attraction to the score. There are a few sections that emulate other composers' style along the way, led by the almost eerie Horner-like beauty of the aforementioned piano and solo boy moment in "You Could be Anything" and an oddly out-of-place nod to Jerry Goldsmith to open "Dare to Dream Bigger." The use of wailing female voice in the powerful "In the Trenches" reminds of Horner as well; there are several short moments in this work when McKenzie's orchestration work for Horner shines through in the present voice. On the whole, the music for Max & Me is fantastic at accomplishing its goal of inspiring personal strength and, for the right audiences, an affirmation of faith. The level of resolve in the difficult passages and the beauty in the aspirational moments is unrestrained. The score is not without a few systemic detriments, however, the excess of themes and solo colors presenting some potential problems encouraging lasting narrative associations. The wholesome style of the entire package forms an emotional connection rather than an intellectual one, prompting possible comparisons to propaganda. It relies heavily on the tone of prior scores at times, not just from within McKenzie's career but also the aforementioned Horner and Goldsmith nods, along with a touch of James Newton Howard in "Auschwitz Cries." Additionally, Bell's contributions don't really overlap with the score's top ensemble moments, the composer content to feature the soloist's brief contributions without much robust backing. Some listeners will be disappointed by the lack of a CD release, though a high-resolution download option is available. The most objective drawback of Max & Me, however, is its absolute simplicity. Don't expect layers of intrigue in this very straightforward work. Still, McKenzie continues to offer lovely music with heartwarmingly tonal themes, conveying lyricism and hope all too rare in contemporary film music. His musical voice remains as appealing and welcome as ever.  *****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For Mark McKenzie reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.9 (in 10 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.39 (in 4,295 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 57:26