Ironically, while both scores exist near the top of each composer's career, neither one seems to have hit exactly the right note for What Dreams May Come. Morricone obviously went over the top with the religious aspect of the story and lost touch with the personal element. Kamen's music definitely has a personal touch, but is lacking some of the element of magic and the supernatural that the film desperately needed. Kamen does instill some sense of wonder through the use creative solo performances throughout the orchestrally conservative score. A pleasant bed of soft orchestrations is given life by fluttering woodwinds, tapping percussion, or elegant solo string and voice contributions. While sub-themes may not be transparent, the demeanor of the score is at times playful and reflective, and you could easily become lost in its atmosphere. His theme is based on a song melody that he and composer Mark Snow had written years prior. Making up the song "Beside You," this theme is very attractive as a folksy representation of companionship. It debuts in "I Once Met This Beautiful Girl By a Lake" and is only slightly referenced until "Together in Heaven" and the final suite cue allow full ensemble development. The song itself is likable, though Mick Hucknell's voice is perhaps too nasal for the story. Without a mid-section that is well grounded in Kamen's theme, the score meanders through the landscape of the film without taking many chances. By far the most interesting portions are those that deal with suspense and the location of Hell. The "Stormy Seas" and "Sea of Faces" cues offer some of Kamen's most robust action material, with far more depth in performance than the material in his earlier, more well known works. The performances by The London Metropolitan Orchestra are well recorded and yield several memorable moments in and of themselves. Kamen's last minute effort is obviously very commendable, and there are ten to fifteen minutes of orchestral bliss to be found in What Dreams May Come. But between the nagging feeling that the score needed a little more fantasy to go with its romance and the presence of Morricone's rejected work on the secondary collecting market, the score leaves you wanting a little more. Something intangible is missing in the spirit of this music and it's difficult to pinpoint what it is. On album, though, there is merit to be heard in both scores.  ****   @Amazon.com: CD or Download