Jones opens the score with a bubbly title theme in "Past Times" that eventually receives significant treatment as the duo at the heart of the film achieve their personal victories. This theme immediately establishes the bluegrass elements of the score, setting a rolling rhythm for acoustic guitar, the flute-like EWI, and varied pop percussion and keyboarding. The theme is carried by a relaxed, but crisp harmonica, a remarkably gorgeous role for an otherwise stereotyped instrument. A jig-like interlude for the EWI and slapping percussion immediately provides the Celtic influence that foreshadows the Arthurian aspect of the story. Jones also conjures a motif of danger for The Mighty that he introduces in this opening cue as well. Fans of James Horner will recognize the two-note motif at 2:10 into "Past Times" as a cousin to one heard in Braveheart and Titanic. This track rolls on for a generous four minutes of Jones' easy-going presentation of themes, but the following three cues are easily skipped. Synthetic meandering with barely any notable development inhabits these character-building cues. Jones' prowess with orchestral action takes flight in "Danger by the Lake," in which the two boys' encounter with the local bullies leads to the imaginative partnership. Jones pulls turbulent rhythms from Dark City and the dragon sequences from Merlin for this cue, though its suspenseful restraint for most of its length is a better match for the later Thirteen Days. The two-note danger motif (actually repeated to make a 4-note statement every time) makes a bold appearance at 2:45 into this cue. After the hip, urban styling of "City Walkers," a definite confidence-building cue, the lengthy "The Mighty Quest" cue offers only some magical choral moments in its last two minutes. The score really takes flight in its last three tracks on album, forming fifteen minutes of remarkable power and charm all in one. Between the last minute of "The Mighty Quest" and "Free to Fly" is the power of the London Symphony Orchestra at its most ambitious form, combined with a few compelling solo and ensemble vocals. Parts of these vocals will remind of Jones' little-known Hideaway.

The "My Noble Knight" cue is a beautiful and lengthy exploration of the title theme, with new age and orchestral elements replacing the bluegrass ones. Boy soprano Chris Baron performs a lovely duet with electric violin; the style of the synthetic backing to this cue lends credibility to the dreamy imaginative state that prevails in the boys' imagination. The choral performances in Latin extend at the 4:50 mark to include a small ensemble led by Miriam Stockley's distinct voice. Her performances here mirror those heard in her "Adiemus" albums rather than those in Patrick Doyle's Great Expectations earlier in 1998. The track reverses order at its conclusion, reprising the roles of the electric violin and boy soprano. In "Free to Fly," Jones merges all of his elements, coalescing the ensemble from "Past Times" and this time combining it with the victorious performances of the LSO. As the harmonica hands the theme over to the strings, Jones utilizes bold and bombastic brass counterpoint. It's not often that you hear the LSO perform material like this over a bed of acoustic guitar and bluegrass percussion, and the results are mesmerizing. The last minute of the cue is a time warp back to the days of Excalibur and Dark Crystal as the Arthurian aspect of the plot receives its own orchestral climax. The final score cue, "Future Times" is even heavier on the synthetic elements, providing the title theme over a heavier Irish jig rhythm for electric guitar. The EWI and harmonica continue their roles as the score concludes with striking confidence. Overall, the ten score cues in The Mighty take a while to get rolling after the opening summary of themes, but the cool, leisurely pace of the score and its remarkable instrumental and choral tones make it an easy recommendation for listeners in search of something they haven't heard before. The score is flanked on the out-of-print Pangaea Records album by the mellow Sting song for the film that earned a Golden Globe nomination. The song uses insufferable layering of the vocals, but does give co-compositional credit to Jones for some of his jig material in the underlying rhythm. The other songs at the end of the album are decent, but not related in style to the rest of the product. A promo pressed by Miramax at the time contains an extra 15 minutes of Jones music in the middle of the score. Fans of the composer should not hesitate to investigate either album release.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download