Various Artists
'Dead Man Walking' soundtrack
»
Various Artists
'Dead Man Walking' soundtrack
Columbia, 1996
RiYL: Bruce Springsteen, Eddie Vedder, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan |
Robbins says in the disc's liner notes "the music had to be grounded in life and its experiences, Benedictine monks didn't work, neither did hymns, organs, or gospel." Indeed, the pursuit of music different than the genres above produces a soundtrack filled with mainly acoustic, but hard-hitting and well-crafted songs.
Most striking are the two contributions by Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder and Pakastani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan -- "The Face Of Love" and "The Long Road." The latter was one of the first songs for which Vedder had written both lyrics and music since "Porch" on Pearl Jam's debut album, Ten.
"The Long Road" appeared in a very stripped down form on Pearl Jam's Merkin Ball EP, but here, thanks to the production work of noted guitarist Ry Cooder, the song is invigorated by the addition of a dumbek, tabla, harmonium, and -- not least of all -- Fateh Ali Khan's vocal accompaniment. Vedder's voice sounds as good as it ever has as he utters impassionedly "I have wished for so long / I might wish for you today."
"The Face Of Love" is a showcase of the late Fateh Ali Khan's own divine voice. Vedder contributes a few verses throughout the tune, highlighted by twanging acoustic guitars and the sweet urgency of lyrics such as "only one hour of this pure love / to last a life of 30 years."
Bruce Springsteen and Mary Chapin-Carpenter each contribute beautiful songs called "Dead Man Walking" with their own unique trademarks, Springsteen's hushed guitar building to a crescendo and Chapin-Carpenter's smooth vocals and driving chord changes.
Following Chapin-Carpenter's country vibe, songs by Johnny Cash and Steve Earle are both very pertinent to the story at hand, although Earle's song "Ellis Unit One" could have benefited from some additional instrumentation.
Patti Smith, showing up for what was at the time a rare appearance, contributes "Walkin' Blind," a song that proved she can still be effective using the same simple methods that made her so popular 20 years ago.
A couple of tracks don't pull their own weight. On "The Fall Of Troy," it sounds like Tom Waits had a few too many at the pub before he stumbled into the studio. The instrumentation on the Suzanne Vega song, like Earle's, is too sparse to really be effective.
Despite a few minor let-downs, Dead Man Walking succeeds in accomplishing the Robbins' goal of keeping the music true to the spiritual and secular life of a nun.
JONATHAN COHEN | Jonathan Cohen co-created Nude As The News with his Indiana University mates Troy Carpenter and Ben French. When not traversing the globe for business and pleasure, he holds down the fort as a senior editor for Billboard in New York. Stop him and he just may ask, "what for lunch?"