The Help
Thomas Newman
" Lovely score misses that special Thomas Newman ingredient "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the regular release
The Help goes about a young reporter who decides to write a controversial book about the racism that 2 maids receive when working for white families. A fairly typical Hollywood feel good drama, it was nonetheless a box office success around the world, receiving 4 Oscar nominations of which Octavia Spencer won one for best supporting role. Reading the short summary makes one realize that Thomas Newman could be the perfect composer for the gig. And so it happened. Thomas Newman wrote the music and Varèse Sarabande released it on CD.
Now I can't help it, but The Help is nothing special. Sure it's a beautiful listen and one that will rush by without any hindrance. But is there anything that makes it remotely special? A theme, a hidden treasure of quirkiness, an outburst of orchestral emotion? No, hardly anything of that. What you get is Thomas Newman delivering his sweet, calm and lovely melodies without much room for surprises. Something I've gotten accustomed to. Because everything is on board, lots of guitar, piano, oboe and strings. But somehow I miss a theme that makes it extraordinary in the end.
That theme could have been "Aibilene" but despite its lovely combination of piano (a hint of Fried Green Tomatoes went quickly through my mind), guitar and lovely strings, it never somehow transforms into the theme I wanted it to be. It gets a nice violin effect in "Them Fools" and in "Gripping Testimonials" too. But that's it I'm afraid.
Of course The Help is full of the familiar Thomas Newman trademarks. We have guitar ("Upside-down Cake", "Heart Palpitations" (feisty), "Jim Crow", ""First White Baby" (relaxing), "My Son"), soft meandering music, gradually moving forward through oboe, piano and strings ("Mississippi", "The Help", "Bottom of the List", "November 22") and by far the most magical inclusions of all, namely the piano playing ("Them Fools", "Write That Down", "Trash on the Road").
Once he delivers a mesmerizing violin moment too, and that track "Constantine" really gets me every time I hear it. "Amen" is lovely and beautiful and the timeless tranquility of "Ain't you tired (End Title)" makes it the perfect final track of the score. Give or take a brief change of pace in "Celia Digs" and a familiar quirky entry in "The Terrible Awful", The Help sounds distinctly Thomas Newman like from start to finish.
But if I put everything together, there is hardly material here that I haven't heard of Thomas Newman before. Nothing makes it remotely special, and I'm sure some tracks could easily be put in other soundtracks and you won't hear the slightest difference. I know, this counts for many Thomas Newman scores, but mostly then it was a theme that would gave it away. The Help is a perfect background score and a soothing experience for a lazy afternoon. Nothing more, nothing less.
Track Listing
1. Aibilene (3.07)
2. Them Fools (2.50)
3. Upside-down Cake (1.22)
4. Mississippi (3.50)
5. Heart Palpitations (1.43)
6. The Help (2.19)
7. Jim Crow (1.45)
8. Skeeter (1.03)
9. Miss Hilly (1.14)
10. Write That Down (1.38)
11. Bottom of the List (3.23)
12. Deviled Eggs (2.03)
13. First White Baby (2.00)
14. Celia Digs (2.06)
15. November 22 (1.12)
16. Not to Die (1.28)
17. My Son (2.51)
18. Trash on the Road (1.37)
19. The Terrible Awful (2.57)
20. Constantine (4.09)
21. Gripping Testimonials (1.32)
22. Sugar (1.50)
23. Amen (3.06)
24. Mile High Meringue (2.00)
25. Ain't you tired (End Title) (6.29)
Total Length: 59.34
Now I can't help it, but The Help is nothing special. Sure it's a beautiful listen and one that will rush by without any hindrance. But is there anything that makes it remotely special? A theme, a hidden treasure of quirkiness, an outburst of orchestral emotion? No, hardly anything of that. What you get is Thomas Newman delivering his sweet, calm and lovely melodies without much room for surprises. Something I've gotten accustomed to. Because everything is on board, lots of guitar, piano, oboe and strings. But somehow I miss a theme that makes it extraordinary in the end.
That theme could have been "Aibilene" but despite its lovely combination of piano (a hint of Fried Green Tomatoes went quickly through my mind), guitar and lovely strings, it never somehow transforms into the theme I wanted it to be. It gets a nice violin effect in "Them Fools" and in "Gripping Testimonials" too. But that's it I'm afraid.
Of course The Help is full of the familiar Thomas Newman trademarks. We have guitar ("Upside-down Cake", "Heart Palpitations" (feisty), "Jim Crow", ""First White Baby" (relaxing), "My Son"), soft meandering music, gradually moving forward through oboe, piano and strings ("Mississippi", "The Help", "Bottom of the List", "November 22") and by far the most magical inclusions of all, namely the piano playing ("Them Fools", "Write That Down", "Trash on the Road").
Once he delivers a mesmerizing violin moment too, and that track "Constantine" really gets me every time I hear it. "Amen" is lovely and beautiful and the timeless tranquility of "Ain't you tired (End Title)" makes it the perfect final track of the score. Give or take a brief change of pace in "Celia Digs" and a familiar quirky entry in "The Terrible Awful", The Help sounds distinctly Thomas Newman like from start to finish.
But if I put everything together, there is hardly material here that I haven't heard of Thomas Newman before. Nothing makes it remotely special, and I'm sure some tracks could easily be put in other soundtracks and you won't hear the slightest difference. I know, this counts for many Thomas Newman scores, but mostly then it was a theme that would gave it away. The Help is a perfect background score and a soothing experience for a lazy afternoon. Nothing more, nothing less.
Track Listing
1. Aibilene (3.07)
2. Them Fools (2.50)
3. Upside-down Cake (1.22)
4. Mississippi (3.50)
5. Heart Palpitations (1.43)
6. The Help (2.19)
7. Jim Crow (1.45)
8. Skeeter (1.03)
9. Miss Hilly (1.14)
10. Write That Down (1.38)
11. Bottom of the List (3.23)
12. Deviled Eggs (2.03)
13. First White Baby (2.00)
14. Celia Digs (2.06)
15. November 22 (1.12)
16. Not to Die (1.28)
17. My Son (2.51)
18. Trash on the Road (1.37)
19. The Terrible Awful (2.57)
20. Constantine (4.09)
21. Gripping Testimonials (1.32)
22. Sugar (1.50)
23. Amen (3.06)
24. Mile High Meringue (2.00)
25. Ain't you tired (End Title) (6.29)
Total Length: 59.34