Various Artists - Part 1 of 5
Soundtrack - Batman Forever - The tone of this soundtrack is muddy, edgy, and hip. Highlights are U2’s sexy Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me, Seal’s surprisingly melodic Kiss From a Rose, and Michael Hutchence’s low-key version of The Passenger. For a more obscure favorite, check out the sweet-voiced Eddi Reader’s track Nobody Lives Without Love. 3 stars
Soundtrack - Batman and Robin - This soundtrack to the sequel to Forever is more up-front and poppy than its predecessor. Like the movie. There’s a lot to like here, including The Smashing Pumpkins’ The End is the Beginning is the End, R.E.M.’s New Adventures in Hi-Fi outtake Revolution, and cuts from Bone Thugs ‘n’ Harmony and the Goo Goo Dolls. My favorite Jewel song, Foolish Games, is over-the-top but delicious. Like the movie. A woman named Lauren Christy sings here, and she sounds just like Rush’s Geddy Lee. Strange. Me’shell Ndegeocello’s cover of The Coasters’ Poison Ivy takes on new meaning here, but it is ultimately more satisfying than the original. Not like the movie. 3.5 stars
Soundtrack - The Big Chill - Lots of old Motown hits are here, such as I Heard it Through the Grapevine, Tracks of My Tears, and Aretha Franklin’s version of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. Everything is good here, it’s just dated. 3 stars
Soundtrack - More Songs From The Big Chill - Essentially, this is a more rock-oriented counterpart of the other disk’s predominant R&B. I prefer its highlights - Bad Moon Rising, The Beach Boys power-poppy Wouldn’t It Be Nice, and What’s Going On. It ends nicely with The Band’s The Weight. But the quality is not uniform. The Steve Miller band’s Quicksilver Girl doesn’t exactly qualify as classic. 3 stars
Soundtrack - Garden State - The Zach Braff (of Scrubs)-produced movie about a man’s return to his home state sports a fantastic collection of soft and indie rock songs. In fact, it became a landmark album for the indie genre, turning a lot of people onto it, including me. I was already listening to similar music, like Guster and Death Cab for Cutie. But this album introduced me to The Shins and Imogen Heap, and things went from there, to bands like The Decemberists and Band of Horses. Speaking of the Shins, they also have this movie to thank for their popularity, due to Natalie Portman proclaiming “The Shins will change your life, man.” In my estimation, they have three songs that live up to this praise, and one of them is here: New Slang. Their other song here, Caring is Creepy is also excellent. Also, check out Coldplay’s Don’t Panic, which reminds us of the band’s roots as an understated art-rock band. Imogen Heap’s old duo, Frou Frou, is featured with Let Go. It is keyboard pop like nothing you’ve ever heard. In addition to a treasure trove of new material, it doesn’t hurt that my favorite Simon and Garfunkel song, The Only Living Boy in New York, is thrown in. 5 stars
Next Up - Various Artists (Part 2 of 5) - two instrumental soundtracks, two with vocals, and one that’s half-and-half.