CD REVIEW - LOVE HAPPENS


Here I am playing catch up after my ISP went down. So, here's the first of two postings (and maybe three if I get the time) today:-

Love Happens
Music by Christopher Young
La-La Land Records LLLCD 1124 (US)
23 Tracks 67:03 mins

This romantic dramady pretty much disappeared as soon as it appeared (at least at the UK box office), despite starring Jennifer Aniston (along with Aaron Eckhart). Trouble is, I think, that everyone expects her films to be romantic comedies, and this just didn't have that many laughs.
Whatever, I'm here to talk about the music, which was provided by Christopher Young, although it's far from a typical Chris Young score (whatever that is).
The album is something of a throwback, in that it appears to be a re-recording. There was a time when it was the norm to take a film score and rearrange the tracks into complete pieces of music and, whilst these days it is always good to have complete film scores wherever possible, I do admit that I get somewhat frustrated when a piece I am enjoying is suddenly cut short because it's presented as one would hear it on the film. Therefore, I confess that I do miss the old days, even if one did sometimes fee short-changed when a favourite cue was missed off the album.
So, getting back to Love Happens: each album track is indeed a complete and rounded piece of music and, as the score is for the most part a happy, breezy affair this does make for a very likable and entertaining listening experience.
Lead instruments in this predominantly light and rhythmic score are marimba, acoustic and electric guitars, and piano, with strings adding the appropriate gloss when required and, as I've said before, almost all the tracks are happy, melodic affairs. A little bit of comedy does creep in in tracks like "It's MMM...Good," where a male voice actually delivers these words within the musical mix; and "Walk the Talk. And there are poignant moments to be found in "Past Isn't" and "Vodka Logic."
After the first 16 tracks on the album, a further 7 feature as "Bonus Tracks." Whether they were rejected or not, I know not, but they pretty much continue in the same vein, though a jazzy electronic organ is added to "Not Really Postlude" and a small, predominantly female, vocal group add their voices to both that track and also the joyous final cue "Fast Toward The Eye (Of Lorelei)."
All-in-all, a very untypical Chris Young album then, but a very winning and charming one indeed. Go to www.lalalandrecords.com/LoveHappens.html for samples and to order your copy.