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Q-Review
With each successive review of a Christopher Young
crafted score, I become evermore convinced of his
versatility. He simply refuses to copy
himself. If he does at all, it is likely only
known to himself and the very astute music
critic. One need only constrast two of his more
recent projects: The Gift and Wonder Boys.
The
Gift is a spine-tingling, beautiful score, written
and performed for a full sized orchestra. Wonder Boys, on the other hand, is
primarily a strongly jazz-influenced
score with a number of other ingredients such
as: folk and blues. While Young has done a
number of scores of the same vein: The Hurricane and
Judas Kiss, to name a couple, Wonder Boys takes on its
own unique personality.
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The
Bottom Line
Wonder Boys
can prove a little quirky from time to time, I'm sure
to reflect those quirks found in the film's storyline
and characters. Young mixes in a couple of
surprises for this score: tap/flamenco dancers and a
lead accordion. They are interesting elements to
include and do perk ones ears up for a moment, but
aren't enough to make this score linger in one's head
for very long.
It
is likely that Young' score for Wonder Boys will probably not
prove to have as widespread appeal as The Gift, or
as the soundtrack featuring the Golden Globe winning
song from Bob Dylan. Wonder Boys is adequate for the film, but I prefer
Young's work for Judas Kiss and if I was looking to
scratch that jazz itch, would likely pull that score
out first. For true fans of Christopher Young's
jazz compositions; however, Wonder Boys is a warranted
acquisition.
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Composed by Christopher Young
Orchestrated Pete Anthon, Bruce Babcock,