James Bond Boot Camp
"Bond is Back" makes a good headline, but we think it soft sells the rugged introduction of Daniel Craig as the new James Bond. Literally, no one's back in this prequel of sorts that witnesses Craig take on the role of Bond before he's earned his licence to kill as agent 007. Composer David Arnold, who returns from three previous Bond scoring assignments, has likewise written a background musical full of expected bombast, seduction and modern pizazz, but this time reinforced with a disassembled James Bond theme; of pieces that anxiously come together only when Craig and his character earn the full merits to 007 entitlement. As such, the Casino Royale soundtrack CD (Sony Classical) is a fantastic listen for Bond music fans. The crisp spatial atmosphere of the London recording, along with a 75 minute running time, is alive with bits and pieces of musical Bondisms everywhere, waiting to be found, only to elusively disappear and reappear. Arnold has essentially eliminated the electro-techno found in the forefront of his previous Bond scores, much to our happiness. Fans of John Barry will be more than pleased with the serious tones in Royale. "You can stray... but not too far," Arnold says of keeping in touch with the classic Barry sound. "You Know My Name," the theme song written by Chris Cornell and Arnold, does not appear on the soundtrack album for reasons that only make sense to record companies, although the melody was written early enough to become a strong thematic motif in the score. David Arnold serves up his best Bond concoction yet, and be it shaken or stirred, um... we don't give a damn.
PK (11/20/2006)see all reviews, or add a review
|
