Filmtracks Traffic Rank: #1,596
Written 4/2/04, Revised 10/13/11
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Buy it... if you want a more intriguingly varied and interesting
adaptation of the atmosphere created by Cliff Martinez in his 2000
feature score for this concept.
Avoid it... if the bleak, intentionally less refined aspect of the
feature film's atmosphere was what attracted you to it in the first
place, because Jeff Rona does attempt to insert depth and flavor to that
general sound.
Traffic: The Miniseries: (Jeff Rona) Inspired by
the Academy Award-winning movie of the same name and attempting to
benefit from its solid reputation, Traffic: The Miniseries was a
three-night cable television film that first aired on January 26th, 2004
on the USA Network. It followed the same narrative structure as the 2000
feature film, delving into the lives of seemingly unconnected characters
and using the depressingly overwhelming power of the drug industry to
create ties between them. The television version of the concept,
however, did not carry over the powerful acting ensemble or other
high-priced talent from the feature film. The series handles its
approach to the drug industry by filming it in a sort of documentary
style (not much different from what you see 24-hour news networks
shifting to during weekend hours), offering a glimpse into narcotic and
other trades all around the world through a detailed reporting
perspective. While the central focus of the film continues to be on drug
trafficking, Traffic: The Miniseries branches off into weapons
and human smuggling as well, stretching in location from Seattle to
Afghanistan. The television series did manage to earn three Emmy
nominations, though it seemed at the time that with to the lack of
extended advertisements and popular mention that it may not have had the
same effect on audiences as the predecessor which inspired it. Whether
evaluating the series or its music, you have to remember that the
subject matter is both bleak and tense, and if you allow yourself to be
engaged in either the show or score, you have to accept that it's not
going to be the most consistent or pleasant of experiences. For the
feature film, director Steven Soderbergh turned to one of his usual
collaborators, Cliff Martinez, for the score, with very underwhelming
results. Their idea was to establish the troublesome landscape solely
through muddled, electronic colors on a dark canvas, aiming for a
completely atmospheric effect and no distinct definition of good, bad,
or any other polarizing feeling. For the miniseries, however, veteran
television composer Jeff Rona would take that approach to a more
workable level and infuse some international flavor and engaging
emotional depth into the concept.
While Rona's output for mainstream score collectors may
be somewhat limited, his connection to Hans Zimmer dating back to the
1990's is perhaps his best known affiliation in the industry. Like
others affiliated with Zimmer and the then legally crumbling (and soon
to be renamed) Media Ventures organization, Rona is an artist very
familiar with the integration of electronic samples, orchestral
elements, and the lending of his own performing talents to the equation.
Rona was faced with a difficult task for
Traffic: The Miniseries;
while the idea of treating the mass of the music with mere atmosphere
was the primary concern, Rona also had to bypass the pitfalls of writing
worldly music, avoiding droning tendencies and elevating the score's
usefulness in this adaptation. To this end, he succeeded in walking that
tightrope. His score definitely establishes itself as a piece that is
meant to create powerful tension in the gut. In nearly every cue, a very
heavy, dreamy bass, usually established with drawn-out keyboarding,
rumbles the environment with unease. Slapping, scrappy percussion often
accompanies the faster moments, and with deliberate distortion
introduced throughout, memories of Martinez's film score are bound to
arise. Where Rona departs from that sound, however, is in his ability to
maintain the same disruption of calm while also inserting just enough
flavor to make the music both varied and interesting. These distinctions
bring both the score's best and worst attributes to light, making Rona's
work as a whole into a challenging experience of a different sort. But
the voice of Mamal Khadem, who Zimmer fans will immediately recognize
from
The Peacemaker (for which the album was prepared by Rona),
makes several vocal performances of elegance in this work, and along
with a duduk, saz, and Rona's own woodwind performances, you'll
encounter quite a few memorable moments. There isn't noteworthy thematic
development in
Traffic: The Miniseries, but through these
elements of diversity, the score does feature some shining cues, "The
Bus Home" and "Through the Pass" most obviously. Conversely,
intentionally distorted cues, such as "Foot Chase" and "Cityscape,"
present awkward keyboarding and sound effects that are difficult to
casually appreciate. Overall, the album for this score is lengthy and
contains about ten minutes of strong highlights, another twenty of
interesting material, and several cues that are closer to Martinez's
line of droning underscore. It's intriguing but inconsistent.
*** @Amazon.com: CD or
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