Thomas Newman – Tolkien
Album Reviews | Aug 23rd, 2019
Record Label: Sony Classical
Genre: Film Score
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The other Thomas Newman score that has come out is Tolkien, the biopic about The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings author J.R.R. Tolkien. It’s about the early life of Tolkien and stars Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins. I haven’t seen it yet, but it’s on my list to see at some point this year.
This score is a little bit different than The Highwaymen, and feels more like the Thomas Newman scores that we’re used to. What I love about Newman’s style is that feeling of being whisked away when hearing the music. The music for his score is so light, the piano playing, subtle choir singing and that classic Newman flute flair or whatever it’s called. Once you hear that, you just know it’s a Thomas Newman score.
“The TCBS” is the standout on the score with sweeping strings, and that signature Newman sound. An earlier track “Impecunious Circumstances” sounds good too. This score might be a little more quieter than The Highwaymen but I like it better. “Sunlit” is another standout for me, in that it feels light with the piano and strings. “Other Sorts of Scars” I liked because of the subtle choir singing in it. The motif you heard in “The TCBS” is in the final track “Helmeimr (End Crawl),” which are obviously my favorite tracks. They are most noticeable and I guess it’s fair to say they are the theme to the movie. Always like when the score has a motif that’s recognizable and think those tracks succeed in that.
I think Tolkien score is great and one of the better Thomas Newman scores from the last few years. It’s not up there with Shawshank or Road to Perdition or anything, but It’s still very good.
Bottom Line: An overall better sounding score than The Highwaymen
Notable Tracks: Impecunious Circumstances, The TCBS, John Ronald, Sunlit, Other Sorts of Scars, Helmeimr (End Crawl)
Overall Rating:
