Composer: Mark Isham
Label: Varese Sarabande
Release Date: November 6, 2007
Links:

www.varesesarabande.com

www.lionsforlambsmovie.com

SOUNDTRACK REVIEW:

A somber soundtrack for a somber movie about the war on terror. Mark Isham continues his string of somber music compositions for somber movies like The Black Dahlia (2006), Reservation Road (2007) and In the Valley of Elah (2007). This 37-minute album is a testament to how the Oscar-nominated composer (A River Runs Through It) has a penchant for scoring dramatically heavy material.

From the first track “Lions for Lambs Main Titles”, you can tell from the mix of contemporary percussions that is going to be a solemn and grave listen that will remind you of the serious messages discussed in the movie. The no-nonsense tracks are not fanciful in style or arrangement, and the intent of the music is to provoke your senses rather than entertain.

Tracks like “Take a B?” and “Firefight” provide the action cues that do not go overboard with brash and loud brasses and percussions, while tracks like “Wall of Photos/Breathe” and “Our Capability” are the more lyrical passages which provide reflective moments. The tracks presented on this soundtrack album are generally short in runtime, with an average of two minutes other than the longer last two tracks. This may result in an unmemorable listening experience to those who just play the disc as background music for the day to go by.

However, listen out for “Last Shift”, a generous serving of melancholic piano, lush strings and an expressive trumpet solo that sums up the whole album nicely. This cue has been nominated at the upcoming International Film Music Critics Association under the “Film Music Composition of the Year” category, beside cues from soundtracks like David Shire’s Zodiac and Alexandre Desplat’s Lust, Caution. All that remains to be seen is whether Isham will take home the award to prove that a critically-panned movie can actually boast of a critically-praised music score.

ALBUM RATING:

Recommended Track: (15) Last Shift

Review by John Li

. Lions For Lambs (Movie Review)

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This soundtrack review is made possible with the kind support from Rock Records