American Outlaws

Review by Thomas Glorieux:

We all know that Trevor Rabin isn't the most influential composer out there, but I have to say that he has left his mark onto the film music place and secured himself to write more then his fair share of movies per year. Of 2001, we have several that didn't directly set the box office alight but he still scored features that got into the theatre in the first place and secondly received time on CD to show what it was all about. I consider American Outlaws to be the best of those 4. Why is plain simple. Two of the four never received a release (of course if you include a song based album with one lousy score track not to be a released soundtrack at all) and the other received average ratings so definitely see American Outlaws as the best of the four. Also because the begin of this score is simply classic Rabin like with 5 amazing good tracks. Yet, it doesn't last like this and even if there is a good track once and a while or a fine moment, it doesn't have this spirit that the begin offered us. So, you might get a not so inspiring finale but as said, the first five are excellent stuff to wiggle your head with. Meaning, with the Rabin mark that stirred the film music community to begin with.

So the begin is great but how great? Well, pretty great because Rabin perhaps doesn't deliver anything new but it is fun and groovy to hear. 'Brief Reunion' actually states surprisingly 2 themes, one main theme and one adventure theme. The good thing is, neither is as smaltzhy as it might sound here. It is the main theme that explodes first and later a very brief adventure theme (barely noticeable). As expected the guitars appear more then often. 'Farewell and Hello, Key West' has them and even a very exploding nature like he did with Remember the Titans more then often. 'First Kiss' of course without doubt states the love theme and this is a mix of Armageddon and Days of Thunder's main theme, played on the way it appears in Armageddon. 'Perfect Outlaws' states then the adventure theme but in a very groovy and cool way, you simply have to love its fun rhythm. And action all the way in 'The Hyperion Job, I was Famous' which opens with action music like in Enemy of the State and ends with fast paced rhythm fanfares which is fun and cool. These first five tracks are memorable because they simply rock like the best Rabin has done. Yet sadly, it doesn't follow in that direction. The other on occasion shows what the first 5 offered but not in that way, hardly in that fun status so you don't get the same pleasure out of them.

Of course we have the moments, like 'Long Spring, Better Posters' with its love version really true to Armageddon and Days of Thunder. 'War is Over' with its brief exploding adventure theme and 'Train Escape' which offers us action music which comes quite close to the 5th track of the score in playability. As said, the guitars take more the center stage and perhaps we don't receive anymore the more orchestral or at least richer sound of the begin, which also explains a bit why the end is not like the start. Even gritty guitar playing in 'Acoustic Outlaws' comes really close to sounding like something out of Hans Zimmer's Thelma and Louise. But in the end I really have to applaud Rabin for his doing. It is not sensational what he does or the most inspiring stuff. I however see it more as inspiring fun because it really keeps me grooving with the pace and the themes. As said earlier, the begin rocks and the end somewhat fails to achieve the same, even the last track ends like it proves that the tracks are not in order. Also the track titles are sometimes weird. But weird as they may be (which has nothing to do with the film music itself), the score of Rabin still rocks in the begin and only that makes it recommendable for Rabin fans. Plus American Outlaws is as stated earlier the best of the four released scores, so I would take my chance with it.

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Tracks

Single Disc

1. Brief Reunion (4.26)

2. Farewell And Hello, Key West (2.19)

3. First Kiss (1.21)

4. Perfect Outlaws (1.35)

5. The Hyperion Job, I Was Famous (5.48)

6. Acoustic Outlaws (1.56)

7. Long Spring, Better Posters (2.31)

8. This Is War (1.39)

9. Life's A Beach (2.02)

10. Thaddius Raines (0.32)

11. War Is Over (0.57)

12. No Ma, No Mere (1.01)

13. Pnkerton's Idea (2.19)

14. You're All Dead Men (1.11)

15. Train Escape (1.28)

16. Do You Miss The War? (0.49)

17. Jesse's Ride (4.13)

18. Surprise Attack (0.58)

Total Length: 37.49

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

=== Link to Composer Site: Trevor Rabin ===