Freedomland

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

James Newton Howard is on a role, each year now he has to pen several scores for blockbuster movies and still satisfy the fans who demand nothing but perfection of his music. Of course that isn't possible and sometimes the movies don't demand for something as mighty as King Kong or haunting as Lady in the Water. Sometimes they demand for effective underscore that layers around the characters on screen. Freedomland is just that, an effective underscore for a moody thriller. That it wasn't on anyone's hit list of 2006 is obvious but Newton Howard remains Newton Howard and the fans demand more than just normal music. Sadly, sometimes music like this isn't just that perfect, more interesting. More Freedomland demanded for a less inspiring approach and I'm glad at least several things from Newton Howard's handiwork came at the forefront. Like his always unique piano play, opening 'Main Title' with the main theme and suddenly you start to wonder if it may become another Grand Canyon experience, sadly nothing like that follows that musical line. What follows however is an electric guitar heightening the adrenaline with a strong beat, effective and sometimes cool but harsher than Grand Canyon at least, near the end the piano returns to end the track quietly like it began. How nice and good the main theme is, how easy to get lost in what is the underscore and mood setting, 'The Lie' with its electronics, 'Unrest' which uses strings to rise to a heightened effect around the raw mood and 'Rafik is Arrested' which is just boring. The tracks that swirl between these are better to appreciate, 'Brenda's Apartment' returns with the main theme on piano and 'Did They Arrest Anyone?' has the beat as well, but the piano and electronics mesh much easier here.

However, with the appropriate named 'Freedomland' we come to the score's most interesting piece. The same structure, the same ideas and the same mood yet everything clicks together fluently and what's more important, James Newton Howard uses a perfect balance between mood and theme, and together you get 6 minutes where music doesn't bore. The more emotional 'Inside Freedomland' is more or less the same with a more personal piece for strings. Yet when we're back with the mood its back to underscore that shimmers away so easily, 'You're in the Wrong Park' apart from the ending is barely noticed and 'Burning' has these harsh guitar twangs that do'nt make too many friends. 'Riot' is more ethereal but the problem is, it remains that way from begin to end and thereby it's lost too in the experience. Only with 'I'll Come See You' with the main theme and 'Little Angel' which has the loudest piano playing of all do we get some satisfaction when listening to this CD. To tell you the truth, Freedomland doesn't have to be mesmerizing because its job is to effectively make the movie better. The problem is, the genre is what it is and then you receive music that doesn't need to make a strong point, it has to be moody and occasionally eerie. Freedomland fulfils these roles and yet we come to the conclusion it doesn't reward you with a listening experience that demands repeated tries. Its way better than a Perfect Murder of such, it lacks the true genius of Grand Canyon and it can not thrill audiences with an occasional brass blast out of Dreamcatcher, thereby you lull yourself through the minutes until a single main theme or an ethereal unison of mood and effect draw you towards your speakers. After that its back to basics with what is essentially a medium experience.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Main Title (3.43)

2. The Lie (2.58)

3. Brenda's Apartment (2.27)

4. Unrest (4.26)

5. Did They Arrest Anyone? (2.16)

6. Rafik Is Arrested (2.08)

7. Freedomland (6.01)

8. Inside Freedomland (3.02)

9. You're In The Wrong Park (4.01)

10. Burning (4.25)

11. Riot (4.25)

12. I'll Come See You (2.21)

13. Little Angel (2.48)

Total Length: 45.12

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=== Link to Composer Site: James Newton Howard ===