White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf (Promo)

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

The more you listen to soundtracks of John Debney, the more you realize why so many have pointed out the strong aspects of him being Hollywood's biggest underrated composer. People always return to; "the man who scored Cutthroat Island deserves larger projects, more bombast, more action and epic features." Of course no one can deny this, even I am looking forward to such projects, but I believe the overall standard of John Debney is simply good music. The kind that listens so good that you don't care if there is much bombast at all. I represent White Fang 2 as being the one that does it, ample. I discovered rather less bombast but a whole lot of thematic thrill and overall it maintained a pleasant listen, for the 52 minutes it kept you alive and kicking. Music doesn't have to do this always, but it sure helps. I was really surprised about Debney's overall thematic jump from one feeling to another, one minute it was exciting adventure music, the next minute emotional love material, going to happy joy joy music, the kind that puts a smile on your face. In any other way, I probably didn't expect nothing else but Debney surely succeeds in doing it still with style.

The biggest thing that keeps White Fang 2 enjoyable is the absence of "the" important main theme. There isn't a melody that needs repeating itself to make the point, all the themes and variations have the ability to show themselves. I expected the main theme to be the central point of the entire score, in a way sure but this also includes the other ones. The main theme is very good, hardly used in full force but perfect for an adventurous movie, its best performance is especially the begin and my favorite the end 'End Credits'. The love theme is beautiful, emotional and extremely well developed, 'Lilly and Henry' and 'Noble Heart / Lilly Chooses Henry' are prime examples. The middle part really offers good versatile music, 'The River' and 'Henry Saves Lilly' brings exciting compositions, sometimes a bit on the road of Forever Young (Goldsmith), besides the scary action music in 'Dangerous Forest / Finding Caribou' there is a great end where Debney fully stretches the limits. And happy joy joy music means dance and playful rhythms in 'Watching Lilly / Training', 'Mountain Dance' and 'A Happy Ending', the good part is they don't sound childish whatsoever.

Orchestral it could have gained more and people might find this a disappointment. I however discovered the fullest diversity in the album, it surely offers amazing thematic music for the 50 minute running time. Especially the Debney fans might consider the purchase, 20$ isn't much compared to other promo's. White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf isn't Debney repeating his bombastic force of Cutthroat Island, but its just the thematic feel overall that lets this album work. The adventure and romance, the friendship and love all comes together into Debney's score and will again please the overall Disney sound enthusiasts. I surely see Debney more as just action, but it surprised me that I consider this score to be one that grows with each listen. The score is recommendable for adventure fanatics, and it represents a good old family Walt Disney production.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Prologue / Main Title (3.51) Excellent Track

2. Forest Frolic (1.55)

3. The River (5.00) Excellent Track

4. The Reluctant Wolf (1.44)

5. Watching Lilly / Training (3.06)

6. Mountain Dance (1.20)

7. Haida Dreams / Wolf Dreams (2.36)

8. Dangerous Forest / Finding Caribou (6.57)

9. Lilly And Henry (3.51)

10. The Reverend / Henry Returns (2.04)

11. Kindred Spirits (2.32)

12. Henry Saves Lilly (4.22)

13. The Reverend's Demise / Sad Homecoming (3.06)

14. Hidden Feelings (2.06)

15. Noble Heart / Lilly Chooses Henry (2.21) Excellent Track

16. A Happy Ending (1.38)

17. End Credits (3.03) Excellent Track

Total Length: 52.15

The use of artwork or photos is posted for non profitable reasons

=== Link to Composer Site: John Debney ===