The Touch
Basil Poledouris
" Poledouris touches your very soul "Written by Thomas Glorieux - Review of the limited release
One of the last projects Basil Poledouris ever wrote music for was for The Touch, a dumb ass movie about a couple of people who have to defend something. Honestly I don't remember it anymore because it was dumb. Luckily for us, the saving grace (as always) came from Basil Poledouris' music. And you have to take that literally because The Touch is quite honestly beautiful. It was composed in 2002 and released the same year in a limited edition package from Go East Records. Needless to say, if you're a Poledouris fan don't hesitate to pick it up if you ever see it somewhere relatively cheap.
I recommend it because The Touch may be the last great one of his career. The movie is adventurous and full of fantasy, and quite honestly it shows once you begin listening to the music. The opening song "The Touch", performed by Kelly Chen and adapted from a traditional melody delivers us the first sign of the main theme of the movie. But you'll have plenty of time to marvel at the beauty of this theme after that, not the least when it opens "Legend of the Touch" just magically. The ethereal beauty just explodes from the scene once you see it forming on screen. And there's no lack of choir either, putting a magical spell upon the percussive "The Monkey King Enthralls".
There's no lack of eastern Poledouris rhythms after that, on the contrary. Poledouris infuses from the first minute his own musical voice with eastern instrumentation (just like he did every time with contemporary electronics and synthesizers). The eastern mandarin in "The Heart of Dun Huang", Chinese percussion fueling the ominous threat in "In the Heart of the Night" and more of those percussive pounds in the entertaining "Trouble Under Blue Skies" that ignites the occasional heroic Poledouris voice. The soft piano in "Healing of Hearts" prepares us for the amazing second half of the album (with a piano statement of the main theme).
Because it's in the secondary part of The Touch that Poledouris delivers us what we came for. "Thru' The Forest" dares to show you the way, but it is the excellent "I'll Never Leave You" that does it better, longer and a lot more memorable. If you don't believe that horses can jump so far without CGI, then believe that it was Poledouris' music that carried the beast instead over the canyon. Here absolutely dynamite whirling strings and the beautiful main theme take this adventurous cue up a notch.
The 13 minute 'Destiny Awaits' is another sign where Poledouris can keep any track fluently masterful, whether it lasts for a mere minutes or for 13. Constantly you're confronted with percussive battles, heroic fanfares and glimpses of epic choir, making sure the track flows through your listening experience without a hindrance. And "I Believe" has everything colliding together. From the percussion and the choir to the Chinese violin and orchestra that deliver the main theme at the end, it's bloody brilliant to say the least.
The Touch is not an eastern return to Conan the Barbarian, but it's an inspiring magical listen nonetheless. Poledouris keeps his own voice fluently active during the listen, whilst leaving ample time for the eastern instruments to stamp their mark on the whole experience. It makes The Touch quite magical in both the first quarter and the final quarter. Enough for me to recommend this score wholeheartedly for all you Poledouris fans out there who want something inspiring. The Touch goes deep into your very soul, and stays there for about an hour.
Tracklisting
1. The Touch: Kelly Chen (4.01)
2. Legend of the Touch (2.14) Excellent track
3. The Monkey King Enthralls (1.46) Excellent track
4. The Heart of Dun Huang (1.38)
5. In the Heart of the Night (2.44)
6. Memories of Days Gone (3.41)
7. Trouble Under Blue Skies (5.31)
8. Glimpses Down the Path (2.12)
9. A Light Dimmed (2.30)
10. Farewell Kind Soul (1.49)
11. Healing of Hearts (3.19)
12. Thru' the Forest (3.20)
13. Secrets Revealed (4.22)
14. I'll Never Leave You (4.39) Excellent track
15. Destiny Awaits (12.51) Excellent track
16. I Believe (4.32) Excellent track
17. Time to Choose (3.34)
Total Length: 64.56
I recommend it because The Touch may be the last great one of his career. The movie is adventurous and full of fantasy, and quite honestly it shows once you begin listening to the music. The opening song "The Touch", performed by Kelly Chen and adapted from a traditional melody delivers us the first sign of the main theme of the movie. But you'll have plenty of time to marvel at the beauty of this theme after that, not the least when it opens "Legend of the Touch" just magically. The ethereal beauty just explodes from the scene once you see it forming on screen. And there's no lack of choir either, putting a magical spell upon the percussive "The Monkey King Enthralls".
There's no lack of eastern Poledouris rhythms after that, on the contrary. Poledouris infuses from the first minute his own musical voice with eastern instrumentation (just like he did every time with contemporary electronics and synthesizers). The eastern mandarin in "The Heart of Dun Huang", Chinese percussion fueling the ominous threat in "In the Heart of the Night" and more of those percussive pounds in the entertaining "Trouble Under Blue Skies" that ignites the occasional heroic Poledouris voice. The soft piano in "Healing of Hearts" prepares us for the amazing second half of the album (with a piano statement of the main theme).
Because it's in the secondary part of The Touch that Poledouris delivers us what we came for. "Thru' The Forest" dares to show you the way, but it is the excellent "I'll Never Leave You" that does it better, longer and a lot more memorable. If you don't believe that horses can jump so far without CGI, then believe that it was Poledouris' music that carried the beast instead over the canyon. Here absolutely dynamite whirling strings and the beautiful main theme take this adventurous cue up a notch.
The 13 minute 'Destiny Awaits' is another sign where Poledouris can keep any track fluently masterful, whether it lasts for a mere minutes or for 13. Constantly you're confronted with percussive battles, heroic fanfares and glimpses of epic choir, making sure the track flows through your listening experience without a hindrance. And "I Believe" has everything colliding together. From the percussion and the choir to the Chinese violin and orchestra that deliver the main theme at the end, it's bloody brilliant to say the least.
The Touch is not an eastern return to Conan the Barbarian, but it's an inspiring magical listen nonetheless. Poledouris keeps his own voice fluently active during the listen, whilst leaving ample time for the eastern instruments to stamp their mark on the whole experience. It makes The Touch quite magical in both the first quarter and the final quarter. Enough for me to recommend this score wholeheartedly for all you Poledouris fans out there who want something inspiring. The Touch goes deep into your very soul, and stays there for about an hour.
Tracklisting
1. The Touch: Kelly Chen (4.01)
2. Legend of the Touch (2.14) Excellent track
3. The Monkey King Enthralls (1.46) Excellent track
4. The Heart of Dun Huang (1.38)
5. In the Heart of the Night (2.44)
6. Memories of Days Gone (3.41)
7. Trouble Under Blue Skies (5.31)
8. Glimpses Down the Path (2.12)
9. A Light Dimmed (2.30)
10. Farewell Kind Soul (1.49)
11. Healing of Hearts (3.19)
12. Thru' the Forest (3.20)
13. Secrets Revealed (4.22)
14. I'll Never Leave You (4.39) Excellent track
15. Destiny Awaits (12.51) Excellent track
16. I Believe (4.32) Excellent track
17. Time to Choose (3.34)
Total Length: 64.56