Customer Reviews

Rome

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Lush, mellow and sexy as all get-out, this curious pairing of American producer Danger Mouse (he of Gnarls Barkley and Broken Bells) and Italian composer Daniele Luppi (he of Sex and the City) could have been tedious. But Mr. Mouse's track record of mesmerizing collaborations -- no matter how out-there the premise -- remains peerless, as this tribute to iconic Italian film music drips with '60s cool. The material is original; the project was five years in the making. But Ennio Morricone's influence (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Once Upon a Time in the West) is robust. In order to replicate the retro sound, Danger Mouse and Luppi recorded as if it were 50 years ago, which means no computer trickery. They also brought in musicians who worked with Morricone on those classic spaghetti-Western scores. And to give it all a little commercial polish (but still retain that hip sheen), Jack White and Norah Jones were brought in to contribute vocals, each one steamier than the next. Jack White plays a sorta gunslinger, especially on The World, which sounds like dusty dueling music. And Jones is pure femme fatale, luring people into her tricky web on many scrumptious rides. This is a true masterpiece and I can already say it will be overlooked by many but trust me and get this one now!

This is an album I have waited for with eager anticipation ever since I heard it was in the making. One of my favourite producers Danger Mouse collaborating with Italian composer Daniele Luppi on an album of theatrical Spagetti movie soundscapes, and the vocals of Jack White and Norah Jones. How could it possibly fail?

Well, it doesn't. The sweeping "Theme Of "Rome"" (laced with operatic flourishes and delicately tapped percussion) opens the album, followed by the gently shuffling "The Rose With A Broken Neck" with White's vocals layered in upper and lower register. White appears again on "Two Against One" (in a spoken/sung performance), and closing cut "The World".

The pace of the album rarely strays above a midtempo shuffle, and every song is brief. Jones appears on the sultry "Season's Trees", the dark "Black" (with cascading guitar sounds and an intro remniscent of The Eagles' "Hotel California"), and the gently swinging "Problem Queen".

Other standouts are the Bluesy "Roman Blue", the ghostly "The Gambling Priest", and the incredibly beautiful "Morning Fog" (with quivery organ, haunting harmonies and a delightful keyboard solo).

It's nothing earth shattering, just deeply affecting and beautiful, and sometimes, that is enough.

Not what I was expecting, but lovely and dreamy. A few tracks had a western feel, but for the most part, it really reminded me of late 90's Air- which I love, so that worked out for me.

Wow. Like many others I read a newspaper review relating this music to the spaghetti westerns of the mid and after '60's. I'm not sure what Spaghetti Westerns others have heard, but where is the tension, the danger? Listen to Morricone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly theme - hear the cries of despair and fear. Or the Ecstacy of Gold from the same film and hear the frantic sense of frustration searching thru a graveyard with thosands of graves for the one with the treasure. The gently deceiving and forboding romanticism of Once Upon a Time In the West. The mournful The Man with the Harmonica. Check out the twang and chanting (and whistling) in the themes of For a Few Dollars More and A Fistful of Dollars. The lesser known The Big Gundown (great movie of full surprises, by the way - and marginal dubbing) with its screaming theme of majesty and building tension. Or if you really want to go there, Navajo Joe's relentness screaming torture and chanting. Try some other composers, like Bacalov's almost corny Django vocal theme.

The present recording is more like Morricone pop, unfamiliar to many, maybe best described as Italian easy listening. And good stuff.

The music at hand is pleasant, has a certain mournful sound on some tracks. So, enjoy this recording, but don't expect to hear the real spaghetti western sound.

How about if someone takes Morricone's crime scores as a takeoff point? - some really interesting stuff there. Or his horror scores?

My wife and I discovered this album out of our love for Norah Jones, Jack White, and Danger Mouse's production work for the Gorillaz and Black Keyes.

The concept of the album, a soundtrack to an Italian spaghetti western that doesn't exist, is intriguing when you consider the artists involved. It seems like a strange combo, but given the reputations of each artist, you don't have to strain too hard to imagine it working.

This album is awesome. I'm not sure I've been impressed by an album as much as I've been with this one in a while. The music is beautiful, the voices are grand, and the instrumentation is almost perfect. The only problem is that I don't think the music sounded as much like a soundtrack to a Man With No Name movie as the premise leads you to believe. Rome is more unique than that, and I think it actually makes for a better album. I wanted a full-fledged spaghetti western type soundtrack and received something better.

What do I mean? The first track makes for a fantastic western type theme, but that tone and style are subtle through the rest of the album. There are times when the music and songs seem like they would belong in more of a 70's James Bond type movie than a western, with the exception of the lyrics. Ultimately, this album sounds like something that you'd have from a Quentin Tarantino western, and that is just perfect.

The play of Jack White and Norah Jones in complementary tracks here and there is grand. I only wish there were more tracks with their voices. It is amazing at how well their voices complement each other. It's only too bad they don't duet at all. I could see it working in this instance. The intermission tracks and instrumental pieces only work to add tension in the spacing between the vocal tracks, yet they are beautiful as well.

If there is any complaint, it would be that the album is too short, but that is really only in a sense of wanting more music. The reality is the shortness makes for perfection in this case. Nothing feels unfinished. It is a great album that would probably have a broad appeal to a very big audience. It is only too bad it isn't marketed as such. Don't let whatever preconceptions you have of the artists and their pasts influence you not to give this album a try. You might be surprised at just how good it is.

Has a nice David Axelrod flavor to it, featuring funky grooves, a lush orchestra and fine vocal performances from Norah Jones and Jack White. If you find yourself liking this album, but don't know who the 1960s/1970s artist David Axelrod is, look him up.

After constantly listening to the Burton/Mercer Broken Bells album for the past year, now comes Burton's Rome collaboration which I'll be constantly hearing for the next year!! What a beautiful record! The combination of vocal tracks and the lush instrumentals is flawless. Luppi, Jones and White add greatly to the final product. Ennio Morricone has always been one of my favorite composers and this 'soundtrack' really captures the feel of his music. Finally a suggestion for Norah Jones. You might want to consider doing an entire album with Brian Burton producing and Burton/Luppi writing the songs! Its certainly an album I would buy!

This is such an intense, amazing album. The more you listen to it the more you get addicted to the sound. The music transport yourself to imaginary places where everything is possible and can happen. It is not just an homage to Italian film soundtrack it is an homage to ingenuity. Everything is perfect: the rhythm, the interlude, the voices, the orchestra, every single instrument. It is a unique experience, a masterpiece. Although it is hard to pick one single piece, my favorite song is "Rose with a broken neck". Here Jack White gives the best of himself. There are no words to describe this album: LISTEN TO IT and HAPPY DREAMS!

Amazing collaboration between Danger Mouse, that Italian guy, Norah Jones, and Jack White. Nothing else like it. Reminded me of the movie "The Good, Bad, and the Ugly," and later found out that was on purpose, which speaks to the quality of the project. Kind of like a double blind drug test. Genre bending, it is just cool all around. Strings, vocals, drums, sound great. Who else could think of a soundtrack for a movie that doesn't exist? If a movie does get made it will pale in comparison to the soundtrack. Maybe Jack White vs. Danger Mouse and Norah Jones as the double crosser. A musical battle, like the cowboy version of 8 Mile.

With Rome it becomes official, Brian "Danger Mouse" Burton is the Quentin Tarantino of modern music, jumping from genre to genre, putting his own twist on classic sounds. Most often credited for his production work, Burton has become a well rounded artist since recording 2003's underground classic, Ghetto Pop Life, with a still-mostly-unknown emcee named Jemini. He's a musician, producer, actor, director and, in a way, a frontman. An auteur, really. Having produced records for Gorillaz, MF Doom, The Rapture, Sparklehorse, Gnarls Barkley, Damon Albarn, The Black Keys, Beck, Broken Bells and now U2, the man once only known for his Beatles/Jay-Z mash-up record has proven himself to be three things: 1) reliable, as just about everything he touches sells quite well; 2) diverse, working with an unlikely batch of artists over the years; and 3) prolific, having produced 20 full length albums in under nine years, most of which feature a big, big sound.

Rome, a Spaghetti Western-inspired full-length Burton recorded over three or so years with Italian Composer Daniele Luppi, plays through like a lost late-60s film score, mixing the obvious influence of Ennio Morricone's signature sound with elements of operatic pop, symphonic rock and instrumental hip-hop. We hear harpsichord, hammond organs, celesta, choirs and strings, all combining to create a widescreen sound that passes quickly and softly, background music for the modern listener. Two World Class guest stars pop up in Norah Jones and Jack White, each featured as lead vocalists on three tracks a piece. Also along for the ride is legendary Italian choir Cantoi Moderni (once featured on the soundtrack for Sergio Leone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) and opera singer Edda Dell'Orso (who sang in Leone's films), adding to the authenticity already established by Luppi's involvement.

So how then, we wonder, does a project like this come together? Who'd have ever believed that a soundtrack for an imaginary film from the 1970s would be a featured title on Big Box end caps around the country? Easy: it all comes back to Paste Magazine's pick for Producer of the Decade, Brian Burton, the man responsible for an endless number of hit songs (including chart-busting hits "Crazy" and "Feel Good, Inc."), critical love, notable awards and, most importantly, oddball collaborations. Determined to keep their record as authentic as possible, Burton and Luppi assembled a super band of Italian players, next booking time at one of Morricone's old studios, where everyone assembled and began working on the record. From there, Luppi and Burton wrote the songs; Luppi conducted the choir and orchestra; and Burton wrote lyrics and produced the sessions.

What we end up with is a chill-out record with a big - though subtle - sound. While the vibe here is certainly cinematic and dusty in a Leone sort of way, I can't help but think of bands like Zero 7, Air and Nightmares on Wax, all of whom have released records that share many of the characteristics that make Rome tick. Tossed in the mix of sweet and epic arrangements are White and Jones, whose vocals add a pop element to the recordings. Lead single "The Rose with the Broken Neck," featuring White's croon, is an instantly likable track that could easily be featured in a future James Bond film; meanwhile the dreamy - and poppy - "Season's Trees," featuring Jones, sounds very much like it could've come from Stuart Murdoch's still-recent God Save the Girl project. "Black," also featuring Jones, is one of the standout cuts from the record, featuring a 70s psych vibe before turning into a jazzy pop song.

Closer "The World," featuring White, is a big and memorable composition that has the feel of a closing credits track, stocked with all the bells in Rome, big string arrangements and plenty of choral swoons. It's the best song on a record full of memorable, hazy moments. Clocking in at 35 minutes over 15 tracks, Rome is just the right amount of music, never coming off as boring or indulgent. A passion project done right.

Check out more of my music- and film-related writing at ZeCatalist.com.