The Times They Are A-Changin' - A Whisper In The Noise
Every Grain Of Sand - Amanda Ghost
It Ain't Me Babe - Silvertide
Maggie's Farm - Silvertide
For his fifth collaboration--and following the Oscar-nominated score for The Village--with director M. Night Shyamalan, James Newton Howard has delivered rather good work. Considering the supernatural tone of the movie, so... more »me of the composer's touches are predictable (a glockenspiel offering eerie punctuations, a huge choir suggestively going "oooh" and "aaah"), but he also demonstrates a sure sense of melody. Listen, for instance, to the various threads making up "Prologue." Despite the size of the orchestra at his disposal, Newton Howard always opts for subtle touches rather than wham-bam scary-movie effects. The most stereotypically actiony cue is "The Great Eatlon," but it's done as well as can be: it remains ominously restrained for quite a while, until the choir comes in to deliver an elegiac passage and the track switches to grandiose pomp. Tacked at the end of the CD are four Bob Dylan covers, including a gothic take on "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by A Whisper in the Noise, and Silvertide's rocking "It Ain't Me Babe" and "Maggie's Farm." --Elisabeth Vincentelli« less
For his fifth collaboration--and following the Oscar-nominated score for The Village--with director M. Night Shyamalan, James Newton Howard has delivered rather good work. Considering the supernatural tone of the movie, some of the composer's touches are predictable (a glockenspiel offering eerie punctuations, a huge choir suggestively going "oooh" and "aaah"), but he also demonstrates a sure sense of melody. Listen, for instance, to the various threads making up "Prologue." Despite the size of the orchestra at his disposal, Newton Howard always opts for subtle touches rather than wham-bam scary-movie effects. The most stereotypically actiony cue is "The Great Eatlon," but it's done as well as can be: it remains ominously restrained for quite a while, until the choir comes in to deliver an elegiac passage and the track switches to grandiose pomp. Tacked at the end of the CD are four Bob Dylan covers, including a gothic take on "The Times They Are A-Changin'" by A Whisper in the Noise, and Silvertide's rocking "It Ain't Me Babe" and "Maggie's Farm." --Elisabeth Vincentelli
"Over a number of years it has become virtually certain that when James Newton Howard writes a new film score that it will include at least one theme, motif, coda, or lyrical moment that will just blow you away. His music for M. Night Shyamalan's "Lady in the Water" is no exception. While most of this score is lyrical with nods to suspense and menace, there is a central thematic motif for the so-called Blue World and the character named Story, the "lady in the water." This motif appears early in the album, but comes to a grand expression in "The Healing" and "The Great Eatlon." Whether performed by orchestra with or without chorus, or solo piano (one of Howard's trademarks) it is enticing and at times resounding. Sadly, as with his last two associations with Shyamalan, Howard's music is probably better than the film, but that does not detract from this recording which is a solid production from Decca with adequate packaging. There is a significant problem with the album and musical choices for the film in general. The decision to reproduce four Bob Dylan songs by new musical artists is a bit dubious at best. They do not work very well. At the very least they tend to be distractions on an otherwise fine soundtrack."
Oh... Wow.
Media Lover | 01/02/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"James Newton Howard has now outdone himself AGAIN! King Kong was incredible, the Village was outsdanding, Signs was just amazingly good, and all the rest... well, you get the picture. This CD is every bit as good as what I've come to expect from Mr. Howard. It blends the suspense of Signs, the thematic excellence of the Village, and the fantasy elements of something completely original.
BUY THIS!"
Another great film score from James Newton Howard
E. Anderson | 01/29/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I am not a fan of M.Night Shyamalan's films. I am though a fan of the composer he turns to for his films, James Newton Howard. Since I loved his work for that dreadful film "The Village", I had to hear James' latest work for the film "Lady in the Water". I was so not disappointed in what I heard. The orchestral score reminded me a great deal of his work on "The Village". It had that same essence of innocence, mysticism, danger, suspense, and melodrama. The last four tracks on the cd are Bob Dylan cover songs. I absolutely hated Silvertide's versions of "Maggie's Farm" and "It Ain't Me Babe", not so because I like the original versions (which I don't because I am not a Bob Dylan fan) but because I find Silvertide to be an extremely annoying knock off of The Black Crowes. Talk about nails on chalkboard. The singer is hideously awful. I did though love the haunting cover of "The Times They are a-Changin'" by A Whisper in the Noise and Amanda Ghost's version of "Every Grain of Sand". A Whisper in the Noise's cover was so beautifully well sung. Same with the Amanda Ghost's Bob Dylan cover. Despite the Silvertide tracks, "Lady in the Water" soundtrack is an exquisite reminder of James Newton Howard's talent."
Simply brilliant!
Tyler T. Kutz | Gilbert, Arizona | 10/18/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Lady in the Water is by far the best score James Newton Howard has written for one of M. Night Shyamalan's films. I'm a big James Newton Howard fan, but I hadn't come to expect work this extraordinary in a film by Shyamalan. The scores for The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable did not hold my attention, but the score for Lady in the Water had me from the Prologue. I was thoroughly impressed. The theme is straightforward and is heard many times, yet it is woven so many different ways you cannot be bored with it. The Healing and The Great Eatlon are the most powerful tracks, climaxing the themes into emotional and gripping music. The last four tracks are songs by Bob Dylan, and I can't say I really appreciate those being on the soundtrack, but the rest of the music is phenomenal. I highly recommend it and give it 10 out of 10 stars."