PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2011) |
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Hark! What’s that noise? It’s not Captain Jack Sparrow chasing his nemesis Captain Hector Barbossa around the waters of the Caribbean, is it? We don’t suppose it’s the witty pirate pursuing the Fountain of Youth with a swashbuckling motley crew?
Unfortunately, as much as we wished it’s the racket from Captain Jack Sparrow’s adventurous trails, it’s nothing more than 30 minutes of remixed tracks from this soundtrack album we were very much looking forward to.
When we first heard that there are 77 generous minutes of material on this disc, we were getting ready to blow the house down. After all, it is Hans Zimmer (we think his bombastic and pompous compositions are guilty pleasures) who has returned for the fourth time to write music for this successful Disney franchise. In fact, the first 40 odd minutes of the album are rather enjoyable, until “Guilty of Being Innocent of Being Jack Sparrow (remixed by DJ Earworm)” came along.
The next six cues featuring remixes from artistes like Super Smash Bros & Thieves, Adam Freeland and Static Avenger only proved to be rather painful to the ears. Sure, there may be a niche crowd (we imagine this group of people to be young and hip good lookers who frequent dance clubs) who can appreciate this genre of music, but please give us traditional movie music anytime.
Having gotten that off our chest, we are still glad that more than half of this album is dedicated to Zimmer’s score. To complement Penelope Cruz’ scorching hot female pirate in the movie, Mexican musical duo Rodrigo y Gabriela has come on board to provide that sensuous Latin flavour. Their performances in tracks like “Angelica”, “The Pirate That Should Not Be” and “South of Heaven’s Chanting Mermaids” can act as standalone tracks to sizzle up the evening.
Meanwhile, Zimmer delivers what’s expected of him, producing haughtily strident cues like “Guilty of Being Innocent”, “Mutiny” and “Palm Tree Escape”. Most of the compositions here are adaptations of the award winning composer’s previous works in the previous three films.
In terms of new material, “Mermaids” provides a sinister yet hypnotically ethereal mood that makes it a refreshing track on the otherwise lengthy album. Listen out for the spellbinding chorals that is clearly sinister, but still draw you in like a charm.
As the 11thtrack “End Credits” featuring the signature Jack Sparrow theme comes to a verbose end, you may want to hit the stop button before the remixes give you a headache.
ALBUM RATING:
Recommended Track: (5) Mermaids
Review by John Li
Posted on 23 May 2011
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