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Although the most likely instrumental tones for News of the World would have seemed to be banjo, acoustic guitar, fiddle, and piano, Howard instead sought older-sounding European alternatives like viola da gambas, cello d'amores, gut-string fiddles, and out of tune pump organs to form what he called a "broken consort" for the captain's suffering. It's tough to say that assembling these instruments made any truly discernable difference on the sound of the final recording, the score's performances sounding beaten but not necessarily foreign; the same result might have been achievable from more standard tools as long as the players offered similar resonance. Much of the score is sustained by just these seven or eight musicians, and the composer even throws in atmospheric electronics to represent the mystery involving the girl. These textures are evident in "Johanna Returns Home" and "A Gift," with "Dime Mountain" expanding upon the synthetics to include pace-setting effects that are, in fact, the composer's own exhales. That lengthy fight cue is a discordant display of subtle horror, Howard throwing bass harmonicas and deep bass thumping into an unpleasant mix. Cues like "Dust Storm" and "Erath County" are quietly sinister, minimalistic and dissonant until the latter bursts with more aggressive pulses of primal percussion and aggrieved solo strings. You can tell that Howard was struggling to balance the broken aspects of the captain with the wholesome heart and his benevolent intent towards the girl, for the more conventional piano does eventually emerge as a defining force later in the score. The same could be said about the larger orchestral ensemble; its usage is fairly minimal in News of the World, but the score really cooks when it is applied to the later scenes. Through his entire writing process, Howard remained laser focused on the captain's character, intentionally leaving the girl or landscapes without any thematic representation. The main theme for the film exists in two variants, both originating in the composer's notion that the captain should have a hymn-like identity because of how he prepares for and performs the news in a fashion not too dissimilar to a minister. This reverence isn't clearly defined early in the story, but as the character bonds with the girl, Howard allows both the primary and family variants to become focused and shine for the score's highlights.

The main theme by Howard for News of the World is prevalent but not overly obvious, only the primary statements for the captain likely to grab your attention on first listen. The theme occupies all of "Captain Jefferson Kidd" in solemn, fragmented form and continues in even more frail passages of "There is No Time for Stories" and "Leaving Wichita." Lonely fiddle expresses the idea at 1:38 into "Now for Some Federal News," but Howard opts to separate the theme into two distinct uses thereafter. At 0:58 into "The Road to Dallas" and 0:41 into "End Titles," Howard translates the theme into a fully rollicking Western identity, one of the composer's best career expressions in the genre. This fantastic realization comes alongside a rhythm that serves as a traveling motif, heard first in the middle of "Arriving at Red River" and accompanying the main theme at 0:38 into "The Road to Dallas" and the opening of "End Credits." For softer interactions involving the captain, Howard supplies the piano-based family variant on the theme, using the familiar underlying chord progressions and a bit of the same phrasing. This version of the theme peeks through at 2:16 into "There is No Time for Stories" but makes its full, lovely self heard at 1:53 into "What Else Can You Teach Me?" It continues on trumpet at 0:27 into "Kidd Defies Farley," opens "Kidd Visits Maria," and closes out the score from 2:44 into "End Titles" to the end of that track. There are individual motifs that do exist for singular moments that are worth mentioning, including a bright and optimistic coda for the previously broken consort in "Miss Johanna Kidd" and an impressively resounding passage of symphonic force at 2:01 into "Kidd Visits Maria" that Howard reprises at 2:04 into "End Titles." While it may seem that the "End Titles" cue is simply a straight repeat of the recordings heard previously in the score, the mix and performance emphasis is indeed distinct. Overall, News of the World is a highly respectable but not always engaging or pleasant listening experience. The action and suspense material is often understated, Howard's ambient and small-ensemble passages often failing to connect. But when he shifts into his lyrical mode, you can't help but admire the musical transformation at work in this score. No cue better embodies this journey than "What Else Can You Teach Me?" At nearly 72 minutes, the score-only album commands respect but not frequent enjoyment, but the fifteen minutes of thematic highlights convey Howard at his best. Without a doubt, "End Titles" stands among the best tracks of the year.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Bias Check:

For James Newton Howard reviews at Filmtracks, the average editorial rating is 3.4 (in 70 reviews) and the average viewer rating is 3.36 (in 86,418 votes). The maximum rating is 5 stars.

Total Time: 71:38