Mr. & Mrs. Smith
John Powell
" We're on high alert here, and Powell knows it "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
Question: who was it that caused the marriage to break between Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt? Answer: Mrs. Smith, or at least the person who portrays her in the movie, namely Angelina Jolie. It was Mr. & Mrs. Smith that brought Brangelina together, and perhaps John Powell put a little oil on the flame by giving them such a sexy tango. You see, John Powell is constantly spotted, one time when he supports a robotic outburst, another time during a hot escapade of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Doug Liman, the director of The Bourne Identity knew exactly who to turn to once he saw the passionate chemistry between Pitt and Jolie, the hottest name of the last couple of years: John Powell. Luckily it doesn't stop Powell from delivering his projects with certain amounts of fun.
We open with "Bogota", a breezy exotic opener where we spot the theme for the first time, repeated as well during "The Bedroom" by the flamenco guitars. Yet while the album doesn't immediately win you over from the start, it is nonetheless Powell in a nutshell, especially when he adds strings to an exciting confrontation in "His and Her Hits" and "Office Work".
This is the sign for Powell to add a little secret agent hot sauce on the table, and "Desert Foxes" is full of this ingredient. But it still doesn't enlighten the score with a sense that it is finally unraveling its secrets. In "The Dinner" the tango briefly tries to break the silence, but it is "Hood Jump" that the music finally breaks out. Brass statements on a bed of guitars; it's the first joy moment of many we'll have during the album's experience. The second time will be when "John Drops In", delivering finally the more familiar Powell trademarks, rhythmic strings and brass, led by an electric guitar.
The moment that will have Powell connoisseurs waiting impatiently is the now longer tango version that was briefly hinted in "Dinner". Lovely, sexy and explosive at the end, it is definitely the moment that gives us the reason why this album should be purchased in the first place. The tango receives a rhythmic variation during "Two Phone Calls" and ignites "Minivan Chase" with a fury, briefly stating the main theme in a fun relentless if too brief action track. Sadly "Shopping Spree" doesn't deliver the bang, leaving that more to the rhythmic "Dodging Bullets". The main theme returns in "The Next Adventure", creating a nice finish for a score that never ignites.
Because it is this which keeps Mr. & Mrs. Smith from returning a lot in my CD player. Apart from the tango, it is the typical nice but not overtly special John Powell style that's being brought here. The brief tracks, a not too interesting main theme and a couple of rhythmic action tracks don't make an album, but above all don't equal the better scores in this genre (Paycheck, Agent Cody Banks). Kinda like the film, it's fun but some things stop me from returning to it.
Tracklisting
1. Bogota (1.36)
2. The Bedroom (1.09)
3. Playing House (1.33)
4. Assignments (1.10)
5. His and her Hits (2.44)
6. Office Work (2.08)
7. Desert Foxes (2.36)
8. John and Jane's Identity (2.00)
9. Dinner (4.13)
10. Hood Jump (1.44)
11. Mutual Thoughts (1.01)
12. John Drops In (2.29)
13. Tango de Los Asesinos (4.26) Excellent track
14. Two Phone Calls (1.51)
15. Kiss and Make Up (1.51)
16. Minivan Chase (2.12)
17. Shopping Spree (4.17)
18. Dodging Bullets (1.19)
19. The Next Adventure (3.28) Excellent track
Total Length: 44.02
We open with "Bogota", a breezy exotic opener where we spot the theme for the first time, repeated as well during "The Bedroom" by the flamenco guitars. Yet while the album doesn't immediately win you over from the start, it is nonetheless Powell in a nutshell, especially when he adds strings to an exciting confrontation in "His and Her Hits" and "Office Work".
This is the sign for Powell to add a little secret agent hot sauce on the table, and "Desert Foxes" is full of this ingredient. But it still doesn't enlighten the score with a sense that it is finally unraveling its secrets. In "The Dinner" the tango briefly tries to break the silence, but it is "Hood Jump" that the music finally breaks out. Brass statements on a bed of guitars; it's the first joy moment of many we'll have during the album's experience. The second time will be when "John Drops In", delivering finally the more familiar Powell trademarks, rhythmic strings and brass, led by an electric guitar.
The moment that will have Powell connoisseurs waiting impatiently is the now longer tango version that was briefly hinted in "Dinner". Lovely, sexy and explosive at the end, it is definitely the moment that gives us the reason why this album should be purchased in the first place. The tango receives a rhythmic variation during "Two Phone Calls" and ignites "Minivan Chase" with a fury, briefly stating the main theme in a fun relentless if too brief action track. Sadly "Shopping Spree" doesn't deliver the bang, leaving that more to the rhythmic "Dodging Bullets". The main theme returns in "The Next Adventure", creating a nice finish for a score that never ignites.
Because it is this which keeps Mr. & Mrs. Smith from returning a lot in my CD player. Apart from the tango, it is the typical nice but not overtly special John Powell style that's being brought here. The brief tracks, a not too interesting main theme and a couple of rhythmic action tracks don't make an album, but above all don't equal the better scores in this genre (Paycheck, Agent Cody Banks). Kinda like the film, it's fun but some things stop me from returning to it.
Tracklisting
1. Bogota (1.36)
2. The Bedroom (1.09)
3. Playing House (1.33)
4. Assignments (1.10)
5. His and her Hits (2.44)
6. Office Work (2.08)
7. Desert Foxes (2.36)
8. John and Jane's Identity (2.00)
9. Dinner (4.13)
10. Hood Jump (1.44)
11. Mutual Thoughts (1.01)
12. John Drops In (2.29)
13. Tango de Los Asesinos (4.26) Excellent track
14. Two Phone Calls (1.51)
15. Kiss and Make Up (1.51)
16. Minivan Chase (2.12)
17. Shopping Spree (4.17)
18. Dodging Bullets (1.19)
19. The Next Adventure (3.28) Excellent track
Total Length: 44.02