Tastes Like...
Review by Christopher Coleman

Composed, Arranged and Produced by John John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams
Conducted by Harry Gregson-Williams and Alastair King
Orchestrations: Bruce L. Fowler, Elizabeth Finch, Harry Kim, Ladd McIntosh, Yvonne S. Moriarty
Released by RCA Victor Records- July 2000

Animated feature films, and now, CG animated films,  occasionally produce a great scores, but more often than not are purchased for the little sing-along songs that the kiddies love so much.  For the general population, most of the time, the wonderful score pieces are skipped to get to the lyrical tracks.  Thus many miss some truly great music.  One need look no further than an earlier 2000 release, The Road to El Dorado.  A great score was virtually ignored, given a scant 3 tracks,  while Mr. Elton John filled the "soundtrack" release with pop song after pop song.  Thankfully, Dreamworks serves up another full length animated feature film for 2000: Chicken Run.  This time, there are few pop songs to get in the way of the composing brilliance of John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams.

Chicken Run is one of the most entertaining scores of the year.  It features an eclectic mixture of film music styles and instruments that even surpasses the duo's earlier animated film, Antz.  Packed into this wonderful score are expansive orchestral pieces, jazz, blues, celtic, folk, classic rock and roll, and just about any other genre that comes to mind.  It is one thing to create such a bouillabaisse of musical elements and another to get them to work together to help tell the story.  Powell and Williams are somehow able to do just that and seem to be becoming masters at it.

Many things have been said about the Media Ventures crew, but one thing that our hats must be tipped to them for is their creativity.  Seldom do any of these composer get bogged down in the traditional boundaries of film score composition.  Powell and Gregson-Williams seem to be leading the way in creative scoring and no better example could be selected than Chicken Run.

At times Chicken Run is big and bold as the first two tracks establish: Opening Escape and Main Titles.  The music here is certainly good enough for, if not better than, most serious military/ action films.  However, as soon as one begins to take the score too seriously, soon enter whistles, harmonicas, and kazoos to tickle us back into animated fantasy.  Add to these elements some very emotional cues such as We Need a Miracle (6), Up on the Roof (13) or Rocky, A Fake All Along (15) and you get one of the most diverse soundtracks to be released in 2000.

If this still isn't enough variety for your musical palette, the score features two vocal tracks: one original and one classic rock and roll number.  The classic "The Wanderer" is sung by Dion and the original, Flip, Flop and Fly (12) by Ellis Hall.  In addition to these two high energy vocal tracks, there is the rock and roll/ blues inspired instrumental piece: Cocktails and Flighty Thoughts (19).  The track ordering places each of these pieces in optimum positions.  Their lighthearted, upbeat style blend very well with the rest of the score. 

I cannot think of a score that more fun to listen to than this one!  Kazoos, militaristic marches, heroic fanfares, and subtle choruses add dimension after dimension of color and character to this score.  This score is simply "a hoot!"  RCA Victor's release provides over an hour of musical pleasure and the recording is top-notch- worthy of the full capabilities of your home theatre system!  Chicken Run is by no means your run-of-the-mill score.  It is filled to the brim with life and creativity and, while a key ingredient within the movie, takes on a personality all its own outside of the film.  John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams continue to push the envelope in film scoring without producing unlistenable concoctions of musical madness.  On the contrary, they breathe life into this genre of music which is, at times, be filled with as many re-makes, as the pop music world these days.

Referenced Reviews:  
The Road to El Dorado