Various Artists – Black Panther: Music From and Inspired By – Interscope
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Kendrick Lamar was tapped to curate this soundtrack to accompany the hit Marvel film, and he did a top-notch job of bringing together hip-hop and neo-soul to underscore the themes of the movie. Album opener “Black Panther” finds Lamar himself taking on the hero’s alter ego (T’Challa) for a solid rap track; he later partners with R&B singer SZA for “All the Stars.” Other standouts include the dancefloor-ready “Opps” with Sounwave, and album closer “Pray for Me” with vocals from The Weeknd.
Christopher Lennertz – Lost in Space Original Soundtrack – Lakeshore
A great reboot of a vintage television series deserves an equally great soundtrack, and Lennertz does this Netflix effort proud with his carefully emotional underscore for the Robinson family’s outer space explorations. Whether it’s a bombastic composition set to amplify the familiar robot call of “Danger, Danger!” or a quieter number to add a little gravitas to some of the more serious conversations as the characters struggle in a new environment, each piece is precisely suited to the storyline.
Hauschka – Adrift: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Sony Classical
Volker Bertelmann (aka Hauschka) is a master of capturing mood shifts with sound, and he was a great choice to score this tension-filled lost-at-sea story. Whether he’s recapturing a flashback moment with wistful sounds (“Tami Meets Richard”) or setting the pace for embarking on a daring excursion (“Destination Unknown”), each piece of music is deftly matched with its visuals. Do make sure you see the movie before you get the soundtrack, though, as there are spoilers among the track titles.
Jeff Russo – Star Trek: Discovery Original Series Soundtrack – Lakeshore
Russo took more of a cinematic approach to his music for the latest in the Star Trek series progression. Heavy on strings and reliant on percussion cues for many of the scene switch-ups, some of the tracks do at times seem a bit over the top for what’s happening onscreen — perhaps an effort to propel Discovery past its “TV show” label — but the majority of the time he nicely marries track to plot, like “Stella” for a husband-wife reuniting scene or “Weakened Shields” during a more tense/dangerous plot point.
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