Winn-Dixie is a dog, the shaggy, adopted best friend of 10-year-old Opal (AnnaSophia Robb), a lonely little girl abandoned by her mother and largely neglected by her preacher father. Though director Wayne Wang's film also ... more »features a promising character turn by pop star Dave Matthews, its soundtrack revolves around a core of bright, Southern-inflected performances by female singer-songwriters. The folksy "Opal's Blues" by Vancouver's Be Good Tanyas, sprightly "I've Gotta See You Smile" by Sixpence None the Richer founder Leigh Nash and an inviting contribution from Alice Peacock anchor that sunny mood, while contributions from country legend Emmylou Harris and veteran Shawn Colvin (the lovely new "Fly") eventually turn it gently bittersweet. Ex-Smashing Pumpkin James Iha and indie notable Adam Schlesinger team for a remake of Bobby Darin's "Splish, Splash" that's as fun as it is unlikely, while the Finn Brothers offer up a warm standout from their 2004 reunion. The underscore excerpts by English composer Rachel Portman round out the album, infusing her ever-delicate sensibilities with graceful, elegiac folk touches. --Jerry McCulley« less
Winn-Dixie is a dog, the shaggy, adopted best friend of 10-year-old Opal (AnnaSophia Robb), a lonely little girl abandoned by her mother and largely neglected by her preacher father. Though director Wayne Wang's film also features a promising character turn by pop star Dave Matthews, its soundtrack revolves around a core of bright, Southern-inflected performances by female singer-songwriters. The folksy "Opal's Blues" by Vancouver's Be Good Tanyas, sprightly "I've Gotta See You Smile" by Sixpence None the Richer founder Leigh Nash and an inviting contribution from Alice Peacock anchor that sunny mood, while contributions from country legend Emmylou Harris and veteran Shawn Colvin (the lovely new "Fly") eventually turn it gently bittersweet. Ex-Smashing Pumpkin James Iha and indie notable Adam Schlesinger team for a remake of Bobby Darin's "Splish, Splash" that's as fun as it is unlikely, while the Finn Brothers offer up a warm standout from their 2004 reunion. The underscore excerpts by English composer Rachel Portman round out the album, infusing her ever-delicate sensibilities with graceful, elegiac folk touches. --Jerry McCulley
Stephanie S. from MARIETTA, GA Reviewed on 9/8/2010...
Lots of fun!
CD Reviews
Disappointment.
Ronald Kevin Smith Jr. | Texas Tech University | 10/28/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I thought that the movie was pretty good. The music is what made the movie. However, as a Dave Matthews Fan, I hoped to see at least one of his melodic jams on the soundtrack. I could replay that scene in the pet store for hours just to listen to that little jam of Dave and his guitar."
Where is Dave?
Erica M. Berken | Minneapolis, MN | 08/01/2006
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Honestly... awesome music in this movie! Where is it all - why isn't it on the soundtrack? Isn't the point of a soundtrack to put the music from the movie on it? Dave Matthews even said himself in an interview, he wishes at least one of his songs would have made it. He specifically mentioned "Butterfly." Dave Matthews was the musical influence for this movie. There's no reason he shouldn't have been on this disc. Also, one of the most popular songs from the movie, "Sunrise" by Nora Jones should also have been included. I like the music they picked, but it by no means is a complete soundtrack of the movie."
It REALLY deserves 4-and-a-half stars!
Jeffrey L. Travers | Paramount, CA United States | 02/09/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It's almost TOO tempting to wax rhapsodic over how wonderful the movie is, but this is a forum to state opinion regarding the soundtrack. Suffice to say that the movie is AT LEAST as awesome as the soundtrack.
The mix of songs were obviously chosen to highlight the 'feel' of the film and capture some perspective of the characters. Well done! Beyond the various songs accomplishing a reflection of the story, it easily stands on it's own as a VERY good album (and yes, I have owned 'albums', so I still get to call them that!). I believe that it is important to state that I am generally NOT a fan of country-style music, but I do LOVE folk music and many of these tunes blend these two closely-related musical stylings to near-perfection. The non-folk/country tracks are also endearing in terms of touching that inner child and providing a conduit for early-year innocence and the joy of childhood to take a renewed peek at the world. In fact, I found myself setting the replay feature on my CD player just to make repetitive visits through 'The Clapping Song'.
The Rachel Portman instrumentals make a great 'fit' into the album, but might have been better served had they been intertwined between the lyrical numbers just for the sake of having a nice transition between the tracks. Still, there is a great emotional feel to these tunes, especially if you were fortunate enough to see the film and are able to allow yourself the luxury of revisitng the scenes affiliated with these tracks.
So, why 4.5 stars? The Finn Brothers' 'Won't Give In' is not an exact match to the overall texture of the CD, it is NOT a bad tune, so it isn't completely distracting from the overall quality. Also, as one of the previous reviewers stated, I am absolutely enamoured with Dave Matthews and I absolutely agree that the samplings in the film from the music store would have perfectly completed this soundtrack. Perhaps contractual obligations, ownership rights or some such ridiculous 'business' legal shackle prevented their inclusion, but since I'm not bound to any specific grading criteria in this personal review, I elect to 'charge' the soundtrack a half-star fee for missing the achievement of perfection! Still, the inherent beauty in the voice of Alice Peacock on 'Sunflower' combined with the lyrically complex and very touching 'Cabaret' performed by Emmylou Harris easily compensate for whatever wrinkle caused by 'Won't Give In'. Every other track on this CD is enderaing, touching and well-deserving of presence on this musical endeavor.
If you have a preference for acoustic-based folk and/or country music, you might seriously consider buying this record. If you've seen the film and would like to have an auditory experince that permits easy revisitation of the characters and the story, then once again, I would suggest this is a 'must-own' album. I wish I could double the pleasure just by purchasing another copy!"
No Dave Matthews on the soundtrack?
Media J. Aguiar | Seattle, WA United States | 05/30/2007
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I can't believe that they would release this with out the Butterfly song."