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There is a small acknowledgement in the CD insert from James Horner and in this statement he thanks Antoine Fuqua (director) and John Houlihan (music supervisor) for "giving me the freedom to try out some pretty modern textures of music". Southpaw is the 35th soundtrack that I have by James Horner and although I haven't heard all of his scores, this one is certainly unique when compared to the ones that I have by him. Horner has certainly had his share of criticism in the past but with scores like Southpaw and The Wolf Totem (which I discovered last month), the 61 year old composer was still full of creative energy and his work was continuing to evolve.
I haven't seen the film and I have to admit that when I first opened the CD, I was half expecting to hear something like "Rocky" or a sports movie french horn fanfare that shows the underdog working his way to the top. I later learned (by reading the synopsis of the movie), that this is more of a "fall from grace" where a series of tragic events deals a tough blow to the main character. James Horner's music is very reflective of this and you won't find any fanfares or exercise music here. The score is reflective, melancholy, and has a subtle tension that grows throughout. At times, I found the score to be relaxing and having an almost "meditative" quality to it. Horner has always been impressive with his piano arrangements and you will find that he makes good use of that skill throughout this score. The main theme is so simple, yet truly powerful. The really amazing thing is that this almost subliminal approach with the theme has different emotional impacts depending on the other instrumentation/sound effects that Horner uses to surround it. Horner experiments with a more modern electronic sound throughout the score and this combined with his more traditional approach has some very cool emotional effects on the music.
Track 1 (The Preparations), introduces you to the theme. This haunting and simplistic piano appears throughout the score and Horner (as mentioned previously) surrounds it with different emotions as the story unfolds. The great thing is that Horner, in his experimentation, never tries to let the modern electronic "textures" overpower the more traditional sounds we are use to hearing from him. The elegant piano work and modern tech blend together quite beautifully. I am sure that some credit needs to go to music arrangers Simon Rhodes and Simon Franglen for this as well. Horner has worked with these two arrangers on several films and this trio's collaboration has produced some great results.
Things get a little different when you listen to track 6 (Suicidal Rampage). This one is a roller coaster ride that truly reflects this cue's title. It contains all of the emotions from the first five tracks with the inclusion of some very disturbing and scary fits of energy. The electronic effects and sounds musically paint a picture of painful emotional instability. Again, I haven't seen this movie yet but I imagine that this music is symbolic of the intense "fall from grace" that the main character endures.
The score moves us out of the emotional chaos into track 6 (Empty Showers). It's a little eerie but then shifts to a peaceful piano (theme) that is calming. My favorite track is the next one entitled "Dream Crusher". It's a more traditional orchestra piece that is both sad, beautiful, and moving. I can just hit repeat and daydream all day with this one.
The big climatic music for the score can be found in track 13 (Hope vs Escobar). At 2:27 in, it sounds like the lions have been let loose from their cages and the battle begins! The 8 minute cue goes through various tempo and rhythmic changes that, I assume, reflect the big confrontation at the end of the film. From listening to this piece, I get the sense that there is some flashback moments as well. I guess I'll have to wait and see how it all plays out in the movie.
I have been really impressed with Horner's score because it gave me exactly what I didn't expect. It's a very emotional score that is very fitting for a story like this. It looks to be a great film and I am excited to hear how the music fits in with the story. On it's own, I found the score to be very enjoyable and many of the tracks are unwinding/relaxing. Many have said that this is James Horner's last score, but I've read that he actually finished work on the upcoming film "Magnificent Seven" directed by Antoine Fuqua as well. So, we might be hearing some more music by Horner in the future. Be sure to check out "The Wolf Totem" too. It's a wonderful score that is quite impressive as well.
The CD has 14 tracks with a total running time of 53 minutes. It comes with a 12 page insert that contains some great pictures from the film and a few credits for score production and a brief word of thanks from James Horner. The score is released through Sony Classical. I've noticed that they have also come out with an additional soundtrack for the film that contains the vocal music from the film. Thank goodness they decided to release two separate soundtracks. Sometimes they really shortchange the score if they are released together. I did notice on the other soundtrack that there are two score tracks entitled "A Cry for Love" (parts 1 & 2). They are pretty short and seem to be basically arrangements of "A Cry for Help" (track 8) on the score release.
James Horner has given us some truly amazing film music over his career. I became a fan when I first heard Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. He will be missed but he leaves a legacy of wonderful music for generations to enjoy. I highly recommend this score!
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on July 28, 2015
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Top reviews from other countries
Amazon Customer
Good otherwise.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 26, 2016
Mrs Louise Forbes-Pepitone
Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 27, 2015Christina Shoben
it was really good. unfortunately it was jumping so I want to ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on September 3, 2015
