The Soundtrack from "Crazy/Beautiful" moves back to the typical in
soundtrack fare. I haven't seen the movie and don't have a clue what it's
about, so I can only review the music as I hear it. I don't know if any of
these songs are actually in the movie or are tacked on at the end over the
credits. This particular album is sixteen tracks done by different artists
that sound fairly different from each other.
Track one, "Ten La Fe" by "Mellow Man Ace" is a hip hop song in Spanish
with a good beat, a decent rap and a melodical, female chorus break now and
again. "Who Am I?" by "Lily Frost" starts out with a sweet voice
accompanied by acoustic guitar. After the first verse the pace picks up and
a full band joins in. "Who Am I" is the repeated chorus with some pretty
good backing instrumentals.
"To Be Free" by "Emilianna Torrini" has just a tiny bit of a Spanish sound
in the instrumentals. It's a medium paced song, performed by someone with a
sweet voice, with some good harmonies/echoes and a catchy beat. Finally I
recognize a band! "Wait" by "Seven Mary Three" (Gee they show up on a lot
of soundtracks! The first time I ever heard them was on a soundtrack...).
The song relies on heavy guitar chords and a typical beat. It's an okay
song, but I've heard better from this band.
The next song is more of a ballad, again with a Spanish undertone. "Every
Time" by "G. La Bey" is a pretty good song if a little slow for the type of
instrumental accompanying it. With "La Reina Del Lugar" by "Serralde" the
lyrics are in Spanish, but up to this point it's the best song on the
album. The vocalist is very good, the Spanish guitar sound is awesome and
even though I can't understand the words I know it's very emotional.
"Shattered" by "Remy Zero" does not impress me. I like the instrumental on
this song, which again features Spanish guitars, but I'm not too crazy
about the vocal. It's too slow and seems to lack conviction. The vocal
doesn't have an especially interesting melody either. On the other hand,
"Delinquent Habits (featuring Michelle)" singing "Boulevard Star" puts some
action in a song. This is a rap song with some great female vocals over
part of the rap and is super catchy. The rap is done in English and Spanish
and there's a damn good DJ sampling on this one as well.
Lo and behold, "Fastball" shows up on the next track singing "This Is Not
My Life." I haven't heard anything about these guys in forever. Of course
that doesn't mean anything - I can't track every band! This is another
catchy, faster song that integrates elements of old Beatles' songs and
brings them into the new millennium. I really like how this song was done.
I guess you'd call the next track rock/salsa with rap. There are some super
heavy guitar riffs, catchy percussion and mega-fast rap during the verses.
"Sumpin' " by "The Pimps" is different from pretty much all the other
songs, but if you're into heavy rock with rap you'll like this one!
"Alright" by "Osker" is pure bad ass punk very reminiscent of the
Offspring. It's fast, fun, has a good beat, not quite all the lyrics are
understandable, and it's short! "Sleep" by "The Dandy Warhols" is slow,
melancholy and slightly depressing, but I still like it. I can't quite
explain what the hook is, but this song is SO much better than the other
slow songs on this album. "She Gave Me Love" by "The Getaway People" has
some spoken word at the beginning and is a funky/bluesy kind of song.
There's nothing in particular to make this track stand out, but it's pretty
good anyway.
Starting with a sweet sounding piano is "I Want To Believe You" by "Lori
Carson and Paul Haslinger." Lori has a very high, sweet singing voice you
can barely hear. This is definitely a ballad and has a more orchestral
sounding instrumental. It's just a tad too sweet for me, but it's pretty.
"Perfect" by "Maren Ord" sounds a lot like a folk song at the beginning,
starting with acoustic guitar. Once the full band joins in things go rock
and it's really a decent rock song with a great melody and a very good
female lead vocalist.
Last but not least is "Siempre" by "La Bey." With a little synth, a lot of
percussion, Spanish lyrics and a cool echo vocal lagging behind the lead
vocal it's a pretty cool song. I'd say it's a decent end to an eclectic mix
of music, which is exactly what this soundtrack is. If you saw the movie
and liked it, if you're into the kind of musical mix I've described, or if
maybe you're looking for something a step off the beaten path, you might
want to check this one out.