David Newman's score for the Spy Next Door has been released.May we have hope for a surprise treasure?
Judging by the album packaging alone you might say, no - and regrettably you would be all too correct in your assumption.
Ever since Mr. Newman's scores for Anastasia, Ice Age and the Affair of the Necklace, I have purposely watched for upcoming soundtrack releases from this composer, hoping that he would get another chance to pull more beautiful themes and orchestrations out from under his sleeves.
Unfortunately, David Newman is simply a talent that is pigeon-holed in Hollywood as a comedy/family-film composer.
His score for 2008's the Spirit really had my hopes up for his re-emergence into more "serious" work (and it wasn't bad) but either he has a way of picking films that bomb - or they just happen to find him. It truly is lamentable, for I really enjoy the beauty and passion he can express with choir, piano, and strings in the previously mentioned compositions.
Now, we move on to his most recent effort, the Spy Next Door.
We, as film score fans, have heard the spy-genre dozens of times, in all of its various incarnations. It goes without saying, every James Bond/Mission Impossible reference is there - utilized to ad nauseam throughout the run-time of this release.
Upon bringing these spy elements to a child-like level, David Newman incorporates some of his own rhythms and extremely upbeat touches - replete with piano, guitar, woodwinds and strings (some real, some synthetic). Sadly, he takes the well-worn path of conventional genre-specific repetition and cartoon-ish sensibilities, producing a mediocre, unimaginative effort for this critically bludgeoned film.
On the other hand, there are a few transient moments of attractive melodies and orchestrations as featured in "Bob Eavesdrops", "I Love You Bob", "Bob's Childhood", and the finale cue "Colt to the Rescue - Part 2".
Otherwise, unless you are a David Newman completist and don't mind the idea of both the film's star, the beloved martial-arts expert, Jackie Chan and the highly underrated David Newman checking their pride and ingenuity at the door for a steady paycheck - please do yourself a favor (like you really needed my advice) and skip this one or at least save your money and buy it as a digital download or from a local bargain bin.
Track Listing:
1. Bob Wakes Up **
2. Stalking Poldark **
3. Satellite Dish **
3. Satellite Dish **
4. Bob Eavesdrops ***
5. Breakfast Mess **
6. Too Many Princesses **
7. The Russian Test **
8. Glaze Is The Mole **
9. I Love You Bob ***
10. Bob Comes Clean ***
11. Bob's Childhood ***
12. Goodbye To Bob ***
13. The Russian's To Warehouse - Part 1 **
14. The Russian's To Warehouse - Part 2 **
15. Getting Free **
16. Bike Tricks **
17. Race To Gilliann's - Part 1 **
18. Race To Gilliann's - Part 2 **
19. Race To Gilliann's - Part 3 **
20. Race To Gilliann's - Part 4 **
21. Big Fight At Gilliann's - Part 1 **
22. Big Fight At Gilliann's - Part 2 **
23. Colt To The Rescue - Part 1 ***
24. Colt To The Rescue - Part 2 ***
5. Breakfast Mess **
6. Too Many Princesses **
7. The Russian Test **
8. Glaze Is The Mole **
9. I Love You Bob ***
10. Bob Comes Clean ***
11. Bob's Childhood ***
12. Goodbye To Bob ***
13. The Russian's To Warehouse - Part 1 **
14. The Russian's To Warehouse - Part 2 **
15. Getting Free **
16. Bike Tricks **
17. Race To Gilliann's - Part 1 **
18. Race To Gilliann's - Part 2 **
19. Race To Gilliann's - Part 3 **
20. Race To Gilliann's - Part 4 **
21. Big Fight At Gilliann's - Part 1 **
22. Big Fight At Gilliann's - Part 2 **
23. Colt To The Rescue - Part 1 ***
24. Colt To The Rescue - Part 2 ***
Replay Value: *
Sound Quality: ***
Length: **
Thematic Content: ***
Originality: **
Composition: **
Overall ScoreCrave Score: **
Click HERE to purchase the Spy Next Door soundtrack from Amazon.com.
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