ini-Review: Slumdog Millionaire Soundtrack
Posted on Wednesday, November 26th, 2008 at 2:37 pm by: David Chen
Right from the chase scene near the beginning of Slumdog Millionaire, I knew
that this was a movie whose soundtrack I was going to have to own. The music
actually got better as the film went along, from the love theme all the way to
the final triumphant Bollywood dance number.
The soundtrack for Slumdog Millionaire was finally released on iTunes
yesterday, but the CD won’t be out until December 23rd. You can click here to
buy it from iTunes but I chose not to exercise this option for two
reasons: 1) The quality of songs from iTunes isn’t up to par with that
of a CD, and 2) The songs are still locked down by restrictive DRM. But
with my overwhelming desire to listen to the soundtrack, a desire which
has dogged me ever since I first left my screening of the film, what
was I to do?
Turns out, it was Rhapsody that came to the rescue! For those who aren’t
familiar with Rhapsody’s
service, they offer you the opportunity to listen to 25 free tracks per
month (the service is ad-supported). While they usually don’t have a
lot of music I want, they happened to have this soundtrack, so for
those of you who want to listen to the entire soundtrack legally and completely
free of charge (assuming you haven’t already used up your 25 free tracks this
month), just click here. Note that the last track, “Jai Ho,” is only available
for purchase.My initial thoughts on the soundtrack: As with most soundtracks,
the
music loses some impact without the images and sounds that accompany
them on screen, and this is especially true here. The imagery of Slumdog
Millionaire is
so dynamic and colorful that it’s hard for them not to be intertwined
with the musical motifs and vocals. That being said, I still love this
collection of songs, most of which were composed by the monstrously
popular A.R. Rahmam. In the end, though, I think I like it more for the
memories it brings up of the movie rather than as an independent work
of art in and of itself. That’s just a personal feeling though; this
soundtrack is certainly worth a listen for anyone with even a casual
interest in the genre.
Some highlights:
* The opening track “O… Saya” has a spectacular, expansive vocal
track that evokes the scenic vistas of India that Boyle sprinkles
liberally throughout Slumdog.
Here’s a clip from this track:
* “Mausam & Escape” is percussive and bold, effectively capturing the
urgency of Jamal and Salim as they flee for their lives.
* “Ringa Ringa” is a catchy tune that drips with exoticism.
* “Latika’s Theme” is brief but beautiful. To this day, I still get a
bit weepy when I hear this track, so effective it is at evoking the
intimate moments from the film.
Here’s a clip from this track:
* “Jai Ho,” the music that accompanies the final dance sequence, is
still as exuberant in audio form as it was on screen.
* If you’re a fan of M.I.A., “Paper Planes” is here, along with an
entertaining
remix.http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/11/26/mini-review-slumdog-millionaire-soundtrack/
