Search - Daniel Lanois :: Sling Blade: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture

A personal favorite

Bill Allison | Southwest Missouri, United States | 07/04/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I rarely buy soundtracks. I'm not sure why, but generally they don't appeal to me. There are a couple of exceptions. Neil Young's score to Jim Jarmusch's "Dead Man" is a classic in my book, as is "Sling Blade". Yeah, this is my favorite film. It has been since I first saw it back in '98 and the reason I picked up the soundtrack was because the music was just so memorable. Millsberg (Benton Arkansas in real life) bears a striking resemblence to my own home town of Hamburg Arkansas. The music just does such a great job of catching that small-town feeling. Atmospheric would be an understatement and hearing this album once is not enough. It's easy to see why Billy Bob chose Daniel Lanois to score the music for his film. I can't think of anyone who could've done a better job. The music was just such a crucial part of this movie.This album plays great late at night. It's also good for driving home in the rain and it's a perfect companion for a broken heart. It's even great to play while waking up with a cup of coffee.Aside from Lanois' score, there're some great stand-alones here. "Soul Dressing" by Booker T. and The M.G.'s is incredible as is "Lonely One" by Tim Gibbons. "Darlin" is sweet but "Smothered in Hugs" by Local H nearly moved me to tears. Ironically, that one is nowhere to be found in the film, but when you hear the lyrics, you'll understand why it's here. I'm not a huge fan of these guys, but this is a truly beautiful song. Last but not least is "The Maker" which closes the film. This one by Daniel Lanois is a classic and could make the album worth owning alone. Honestly, I DID cry from this song and that itself is a rare occurence. My ONLY complaint here is that the album seemed to be missing one little tune that I really loved. It was the music from the scene where Karl and Frank meet for the first time and they're carrying the laundry bags together. I really wish that was here but still, it's not enough to take away from the rest of the album and it still gets a solid 10/10. Reccommended for people who like atmospheric, emotional music."

A reawakening

Linda McDougall | Guanajuato, Mexico | 08/08/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this CD after the film first came out, so taken was I by the extraordinary magic it evoked. Then I lost it - until last week, in August 2003, when I found it again, and am even more impassioned not only by Lanois' originality and skill, but the brilliant way he crosses and mixes genres. Being from Quebec and living in Mexico, I suddenly felt a connection with my homeland - the only part of Canada that, like Mexico, has a patron saint: Jean Batiste, the hero of "The Maker". This CD, like the movie, is wonderful...energetic, soulful, tender, and above all, "musical" in the true sense of the word. Linda"

You can feel the echoes of the south's past on this one.

Joel Munyon | Joliet, Illinois - the poohole of America. | 08/14/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Maybe it was the way Daniel Lanois creates sound that made me love this cd. Most of the songs are deep and stir up the listeners thought process, an affect I've come to love when listening to music. More than half of this cd features music by Lanois and while some of it's a bit on the rough side, tracks 1,2,3,6,7,8,13, and 14 are splendid. Emmylou Harris lovers will enjoy track #9, a track that is so enticing that it makes the listener crave another minute or two of her version of Shenandoah. Track #14, 'The Maker', is a song that I've grown to love on this cd. I hope you will also find this cd to be the form of southern anguish I believe it is. You can almost hear the ghosts of the south calling out to you on a few of these songs."