Customer Reviews

Sling Blade: Music From The Miramax Motion Picture

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I rarely buy soundtracks. I'm not sure why, but generally they don't appeal to me. There are a couple of exceptions. Neil Young's score to Jim Jarmusch's "Dead Man" is a classic in my book, as is "Sling Blade".

Yeah, this is my favorite film. It has been since I first saw it back in '98 and the reason I picked up the soundtrack was because the music was just so memorable. Millsberg (Benton Arkansas in real life) bears a striking resemblence to my own home town of Hamburg Arkansas. The music just does such a great job of catching that small-town feeling. Atmospheric would be an understatement and hearing this album once is not enough. It's easy to see why Billy Bob chose Daniel Lanois to score the music for his film. I can't think of anyone who could've done a better job. The music was just such a crucial part of this movie.

This album plays great late at night. It's also good for driving home in the rain and it's a perfect companion for a broken heart. It's even great to play while waking up with a cup of coffee.

Aside from Lanois' score, there're some great stand-alones here. "Soul Dressing" by Booker T. and The M.G.'s is incredible as is "Lonely One" by Tim Gibbons. "Darlin" is sweet but "Smothered in Hugs" by Local H nearly moved me to tears. Ironically, that one is nowhere to be found in the film, but when you hear the lyrics, you'll understand why it's here. I'm not a huge fan of these guys, but this is a truly beautiful song.

Last but not least is "The Maker" which closes the film. This one by Daniel Lanois is a classic and could make the album worth owning alone. Honestly, I DID cry from this song and that itself is a rare occurence.

My ONLY complaint here is that the album seemed to be missing one little tune that I really loved. It was the music from the scene where Karl and Frank meet for the first time and they're carrying the laundry bags together. I really wish that was here but still, it's not enough to take away from the rest of the album and it still gets a solid 10/10.

Reccommended for people who like atmospheric, emotional music.

Maybe it was the way Daniel Lanois creates sound that made me love this cd. Most of the songs are deep and stir up the listeners thought process, an affect I've come to love when listening to music.

More than half of this cd features music by Lanois and while some of it's a bit on the rough side, tracks 1,2,3,6,7,8,13, and 14 are splendid. Emmylou Harris lovers will enjoy track #9, a track that is so enticing that it makes the listener crave another minute or two of her version of Shenandoah.

Track #14, 'The Maker', is a song that I've grown to love on this cd. I hope you will also find this cd to be the form of southern anguish I believe it is. You can almost hear the ghosts of the south calling out to you on a few of these songs.

This being my favorite movie of all time, I had to write a review for the soundtrack to match my review for the movie. The music is wonderful. It is very dark and moody, best when played on a cloudy evening. I have never heard anything that so perfectly captured the feeling of the rural south. Since I am from Hamburg Arkansas, and the movie was filmed in Benton, I get completely absorbed everytime I play it. It is great night music and it is perfect to listen to while driving. My two favorites would have to be "the Maker" and "Loneley One". They seem to define the movie. "Jimmy Was" is a little bit more up beat and "Darlin" is incredible. Daniel Lanois has incredible ways of capturing the right mood with his music. Any time I need a little bit of relaxation, I put this one in. If your a blues fan, there is some great picking also. Billy Bob Thornton really knew what he was doing with the film and the soundtrack is no exception to the film's brilliance.

Listening to this soundtrack, I was somewhat disappointed to find tracks not played in the movie ("Blue Waltz", Soul Dressing", "Smothered in Hugs")on the album. What should have been on the album was the track that helped create the atmosphere of the scene when Karl revisits the shed he inhabited and the delapidated house and the father that rejected him. That track, in my opinion, set up the emotion experienced by Karl when he returns to that cruel place of his upbringing.
However, I am pleased that "Asylum" made it to the album as well as "Shenandoah" and "Orange Kay". In all, I think this album is average without the vital track that SHOULD HAVE been included.

I bought this CD after the film first came out, so taken was I by the extraordinary magic it evoked. Then I lost it - until last week, in August 2003, when I found it again, and am even more impassioned not only by Lanois' originality and skill, but the brilliant way he crosses and mixes genres. Being from Quebec and living in Mexico, I suddenly felt a connection with my homeland - the only part of Canada that, like Mexico, has a patron saint: Jean Batiste, the hero of "The Maker". This CD, like the movie, is wonderful...energetic, soulful, tender, and above all, "musical" in the true sense of the word. Linda

I received this CD last week and just can't get enough of it. Great instrumental background music punctuated by startling vocal tracks. Two vocal tracks in particular stand out: "Darlin'" by Bambi Lee Savage (Who IS this woman?) and "The Maker" by Daniel Lanois. If you liked Emmylou Harris's cover of "The Maker" on her "Spyboy" CD, you owe it to yourself to listen to the original here or on Lanois's "Acadie" CD. It's got a subtle complexity that will keep you coming back to it over and over.

Being a southerner, I agree that this music captures the feel of the South, but ironically, the first time I heard these tunes (before I ever saw the film, even), was driving through a whopping snowstorm. With the landscape transformed by the snow drifts, the ethereal/spooky quality of the music was hightened. Since then, I have enjoyed many repeated listenings, and the tunes remain amazing regardless of weather or surroundings. It's great to turn out all the lights and lie back in bed or on the couch and take this CD in.

Great stuff, highly recommended!

From the very beginning of the movie, the music of Daniel Lanois is spellbinding. When credits are rolled for the first time 20 minutes into the movie, I knew I had to have the soundtrack. The whole album is dark, ethereal, and old time Southern gothic. From Lanois's originals to the haunting backing vocals of Emmy Lou Harris, the soundtrack stands on it own while reminding you how great the film was. One particular song, "The Maker" features a powerful yet redemptive vocal by Aaron Neville. Includes music by Booker T & MG's and Bambi Savage. If Poe was alive today, he'd ask Daniel Lanois to write music for his work.

I think the score is great. It has that mystical quality which matches the theme of the movie. The movie is one of the best and the sound track likewise.

I just picked up The Shylingo CD from Tim Gibbons who performs my favourite song on Sling Blade(Lonely One). It captures the same vibe that makes the Sling Blade soundtrack so unique. Do yourself a favour & pick it up.