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But, you ask, can they produce an effective film score for a major feature film? Your reservations about well-known artists from other genres stepping onto the scoring stage (whether from country, classical, or another area of music) will be confirmed by the simple fact that Stuart and his associates don't really attempt to step far outside of their comfort zone for this assignment. Much of it indeed plays like the instrumental background material for a country western vocal collection. But for the environment of All the Pretty Horses, obviously a step removed from the era of topics often scored by Elmer Bernstein and Jerry Goldsmith, the hiring of Stuart to coordinate this effort can easily be classified as successful. Not only is the finished musical product for the film functional within the genre, but the modern sensibilities inherent in the country genre's influence on the music are quite refreshing compared to the tired attempts by other composers to mimic either one of the composers mentioned above or Ennio Morricone. Both this score and Marco Beltrami's 3:10 to Yuma in 2007 prove that the genre still has some fresh new angles to explore in its music. Granted, some of the structures used by Stuart in All the Pretty Horses hail back to the chord progressions and rhythmic devices of classic Western scores. But those standards are never abused here, and the instrumentation (and the attitude of the performances specifically) breathe new life into those old ideas. There are stylistic influences of Dimitri Tiomkin's Gunfight at the OK Corral mingled with Lee Holdridge's Old Gringo, and many of the spicy moments of ethnic flavor indeed bring back memories of the Morricone Westerns for which his career was once famous. The active rhythms are likewise reminiscent of the prancing beats of renown Bernstein Western themes as well. Whether relying upon the taping of the tambourine or the excess of twangy guitars, there is a positive spirit about All the Pretty Horses that strikes an infectious chord that seldom exists in this genre.

The two primary themes of the score, performed in some circumstances by Stuart himself, are pleasing compositions for guitars and a well balanced orchestral accompaniment. The ideas, offered in succession in "Cowboy's Dream" and "All the Pretty Horses," are merged into an outstanding summary medley at the end of the album for the score. Structurally, the themes are simple, drawing on stereotypical progressions from both the country genre and Western standards of the past, but their flowing elegance in their full performances compensates for the ills of their predictability in form and instrumentation. The songwriting tendencies of the composers are easily heard in the extended multiple presentations of the themes' phrases. While these themes' spotlight performances only occupy about 10 to 12 minutes of the entire score, they dominate its every aspect. The remaining 30 minutes of music were best described by one industry insider as "cinematic country minimalism." An acoustic guitar and its usual accompaniment of bass and percussion are almost always present during the score, with an orchestra consisting of moderate string and brass sections weaving in and out when needed. While there are extended sequences of slightly audible, rather unexciting meandering that begins on the album at "After the Rain," there are also singular cues of Latin flavor that are very tastefully performed by trumpets (unlike the stereotypical, drunken trumpets that often blasted away when portraying Mexicans in Alex North scores). The delightful "Strawberry Tango" is a playful twist on that ethnic half of the score, including castanet and hand-clapping accents on top of spirited guitar rhythms that remind of the highlights of both Rachel Portman's Chocolat and Shaun Davey's The Tailor of Panama from roughly the same period of time. A softer variant on this ethnicity is heard in the form of a hidden track at the end of the product (after a minute of silence); rumor had it that this recording was originally going to be a separate track called "El Buxbombed," still to be heard at the conclusion of the album.

A third theme for the score, titled "Far Away," represents the love story in All the Pretty Horses and is featured in two heartbreaking score tracks outside of its soft song performance by Stuart, which increased the product's marketability to straight country listeners. Perhaps the most admirable and impressive attribute of the music for this film is its consistency in tone. A number of the tracks in the middle of the album were contributed to by other artists, and yet you'd never know it from the maintenance of such a consistent environment throughout. Only the electronic choir in "My Last Days on Earth/What's it Like to be Dead?" stands out as different, though it's a welcome surprise. In these regards, the collective effort of Stuart, Wilkinson, and Paxton (who not only composed the score, but performed it as well) is simply remarkable. They managed to not only slightly alter their comfort zone for the film, but they did so in an ultimate team effort that worked. The final mix of the recording needs praise; despite the infusion of the rich string and brass contributions, the soloists at the heart of the ensemble prevail in a bass-heavy environment. All of this said, however, it's difficult to recommend All the Pretty Horses to every traditional film score collector unconditionally. No matter your musical tastes, you will enjoy the title themes performed at the beginning and end of the album, but it cannot be guaranteed that every one of you will appreciate the minimalistic country-styled music in between. The score's greatest weakness is indeed its somewhat poor handling of the more sinister moments of the story, failing to evoke enough fear or uncertainty when needed. Still, for those who consider the swinging title theme for Carter Burwell's related The Hi-Lo Country to be a guilty pleasure, this score is not only elegant in its tribute to classic Western film score motifs, but its instrumentation is contemporary enough to distinguish itself as an adaptation of the concept for the 21st Century. Due to its ingenuity, consistency, and undeniable personality, All the Pretty Horses is one of the best scores of 2000, a relaxing and refreshing experience in its most addictive fifteen or so minutes.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download

Total Time: 48:56