Newman does little to mask the difference between good and evil in The War, very clearly handling the protagonists with the tonal, accessible expressions of symphonic lyricism and the junk yard villains (and the dirtiness of the location in general) with a variety of specialty instruments that is led by the growling bass capabilities of the didgeridoo and banjo. There are faint soul and gospel leanings in some of the passages that bridge these two parts of the score, especially with the reprise of the vocal usage from Fried Green Tomatoes, but Newman isn't afraid to make the Deep South sound like a hostile foreign planet with his more ominous expressions on the specialty items, summed up well by "Junkyard Billy." Even when adopting a bluegrass spirit, as in "Trolley," the trademark Newman piano and struck percussion is overwhelmed by the more sinister plucked contributors. Also influencing the score is the presence of exotic woodwinds, starting in "Hornets" and likely an acknowledgement of the Vietnam connections to American life (which dismayed critics as well). In "2nd Vietnam," this usage is extended significantly and given slight adagio treatment from strings for emphasized agony. Some of the alienating instrumental tones heard here would be understandably expanded upon for Red Corner a few years later. Not all is sour in the dressing of the location, however, Newman resorting to his usual solitary oboe solos for restrained beauty in "Juliette," "Life Be a Bowlful," and the closing moments of "Hospital." These three cues contain one of the score's secondary motifs, but all such ideas in The War are overshadowed by Newman's main theme, which dominates the rest of the material with its optimistic beauty. Heard first in "The War (Main Title)," this identity is rarely touched upon in the score (a reprise of the strings from that initial cue is notable in the latter half of "2nd Vietnam") but will absolutely break your heart in "Angel Pen," which closes out the work with arguably the most lovely symphonic and solo female vocal combination of the composer's career. This cue compensates for all the challenges and ills of the rest of the score with a redemptive spirit that belongs in any collection of the composer's early 1990's lyricism. Aside from this stunning track, the album release is rather forgettable, the songs highly reminiscent of Forrest Gump (which was still hugely popular at the time The War debuted) but at least congregated at the start of the product. The four cues containing the restrained, soulful vocals, including the phenomenal "Angel Pen," provide ten minutes of engaging material, but the score's rougher side will take much longer to embrace, assuming you can ever appreciate Newman's rougher edges.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download