Soundtrack Snippets

Have you ever wanted to watch a movie again for sentimental reasons alone? I saw Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron years ago, and it was one of my favorite animated films. Listening to the score now, brings back wonderful memories. Anyhow, enough of my sentimental self........
The score for Spirit, Stallion of the Cimarron, is composed by musical genius Hans Zimmer and additional songs performed by Bryan Adams. Zimmer takes a conventional AND unconventional approach to scoring this film. Since Spirit is a movie about the founding of the wild west and his style of music is a mix of acoustic/western/Americana type music. The music is patriotic, spirited, and inspirational. His unconventional method appears in the way that he uses the 90s synth. It's the stereotypical "Hans Zimmer sound" with a 1990s flair to it. I can't say that it works in the film, given it's a period piece; but listening to it alone is great fun!
The main theme is like a soaring anthem, and definitely sounds like a horse galloping through western plains. The darker material, unfortunately, hinders the quality of the soundtrack, in which Zimmer relies too heavily on the synthesizer and creates a murky, and dark underscore.
As for the Bryan Adams pop songs, they are good to just skip unless you enjoy the 90s contemporary sound. You honestly, aren't missing much.
Besides that, I have to hand it to Zimmer, he knows how to create a powerful and cohesive score to listen to, and this album is no exception. It's Zimmer's ultimate Americana anthem, unleashed!

Rating: ****1/2