About A Boy (Original Soundtrack) - Badly Drawn Boy > Reviews > A great soundtrack album

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	A top collection of tracks for a top film !
Disadvantages:	None

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Badly Drawn Boy first shot to prominence with his debut album The Hour of Bewilderbeast, in 2000. This was a fine debut and was recognised with a Mercury Music Prize for Best Album.
Born Damon Gough, he began recording after meeting the like-minded Andy Votel at a Manchester nightclub. The pair formed the Twisted Nerve label.
His fantastic lyrics and simple yet catchy guitar riffs led Author Nick Hornby to ask the singer to score and record the soundtrack to the film being made of this book About a Boy.

The fact that Badly Drawn Boy crafted this soundtrack to such a good modern film is not suprising although it must be said that he could not have done this unless he was indeed a fan of the original book. The some times odd, quirky tracks he produced sit so well within the film that this was a marriage made in heaven and are exaccerbated by the down to earth feel of both the film and score.
a sensitive and at times touching film needed a similar score of music to accompany it and it is well and truely delivered filling the background with tracks that are more than apt for each situation they are used in.
Deceptively simple songs combined with pleasant melodies and thoughtful lyrics compliment his slightly gravelly voice.

The single "Silent Sigh" is the distinctive highlight here in a light breezy tune. However when you consider this album as a whole you discover its more than just a soundtrack it is impressive in its own right.
How Badly Drawn Boy could've improved on The Hour of Bewilderbeast any better than this astonishing work when considering why it was written is beyond me.

Tracklisting:

1 Exit Stage Right 0:21
2 A Peak You Reach 4:33
3 Something to Talk About 3:40
4 Dead Duck 0:46
5 Above You, Below Me 2:40
6 I Love N.Y.E. 3:20
7 Silent Sigh 4:44
8 Wet, Wet, Wet 0:42
9 River-Sea-Ocean 2:24
10 Spat 3:24
11 Rachel's Flat 0:34
12 Walking Out of Stride 1:48
13 File Me Away 3:23
14 A Minor Incident 3:44
15 Delta (Little Boy Blues) 4:00
16 Donna & Blitzen 4:19

Damon Gough truely is a one-off and this is easily the best soundtrack I have ever heard, Seven of sixteen tracks on this album are instrumental, the best of which are the opening track ('Exit Stage Right') a mere 21seconds long and track six, namely 'I Love NYE'. But as for the other nine are just top class.
You only has to hear the intro to 'A Minor Incident', or the first line of 'Silent Sigh', and you're hooked.
Donna and Blitzen is a particular favourite of mine and one which you wish all christmas tracks sonded like instead of the usual stuff rolled out each year!
This couldn't have been done any better!