The year's best soundtracks

2008 was an excellent year for movie soundtracks. Mamma Mia!, the High School Musical series, Camp Rock, Iron Man, Hair Spray were but a few that made big bucks in CD sales. 2009 is not shaping up as well. I have heard of only two albums from the first quarter of the year with music used to good advantage in a picture, the Fast and Furious 4 and Hannah Montana, The Movie.  I hope there are other good ones that I missed and then I am also thankful that there are still those two from last year that you can listen to and love again and again.

Slumdog Millionaire by A. R. Rahman. I am sure it was mostly curiosity that first drew buyers to this soundtrack. They asked, what is so special about the film’s music that it could hold viewers, including Hollywood absolutely enthralled? A lot. It turned out. It was a remarkable fusion of atmosphere and feelings that resulted in one affecting whole. 

Of course, those already familiar with the work of A.R. Rahman knew that something like that would happen soon enough. The guy after all, regularly sells albums by the millions, not only in India but all over the world. London had already embraced him through Bollywood Nights. It was about time Hollywood did the same.

Rahman’s O... Saya and the Academy Award winning Jai Ho so evocative of the mood of the picture, bookend the CD just like they do the film. Then in between are the sounds that serve to heighten the emotions of the story. Get inspired with Millionaire, feel fear with Riots, get your heart broken with Latika’s Dream, do some Indian moves with Liquid Dance and then see how M.I.A.’s Paper Planes becomes the theme for boys scavenging for food in the slums of Mumbai. This is the work of a genius and it is no wonder that Rahman also won the Academy Award for the film’s score.

Hannah Montana: The Movie by Miley Cyrus: This picture is doing great at the box office but has been getting a beating from the critics. The soundtrack though is something else. It is a well-produced album that succeeds even without the mediocre flick. It is the best ever by Miley and shows how much she has grown as an artist. The Climb, which is currently the No. 1 seller in the U.S. of A. shows her new found range as a singer and astute songwriter.

It makes me feel good to know that all those kids who adore Hannah and Miley will also learn how talent grows by listening to her work. She is beginning to move out of cute territory and her potentials are unlimited. Other great cuts are Butterfly Fly Away, a touching duet with her dad Billy Ray; the amusing Backwards by Rascal Flatts; and Let’s Get Crazy, a catchy fun tune destined for the pop charts.

Fast and Furious 4 by Various Artists: The movie is fast, furious and loud. Therefore the soundtrack is no different. This is the sort that comes with a parental advisory tag on the cover. It is also what you hear from booming boomboxes with the loud bass to match playing in snazzy SUV’s. I admit some people do frown at that kind of sound and think of the music as noise. But there are others who will get into the groove and go their own ways but move in step to the beat, thinking of the cars, the speed and the danger.

Included are Bang by Rye Rye; G-Stro by Busta Rhymes; Loose Wires by Kenna; Blanco, Krazy, You Slip She Grip and Bad Girls by Pitbull; Head Bust by Shark City Click; Virtual Diva by Don Omar; and La Isla Bonita by Tasha. Incidentally this fourth installment in the high-speed adventures of Brian and Dom is also the best of the series.

Twilight by Various Artists. This soundtrack has been in the list of the biggest selling rock albums these past six months. That really comes as no surprise. Compiled together here are some of the most lyrical, introspective rock tunes ever heard. Decode and I Caught Myself by Paramore; Full Moon by The Black Ghosts; Leave Out All the Rest by Linkin Park; Never Think by vampire heartthrob Rob Pattinson and Bella’s Lullaby by Carter Burwell.

Of course, it also helps that the recent release of the film on video has fueled another viewing frenzy among Twilight fanatics and when away from the screen, what they do is listen to the music.