About the Soundtrack: Varese Sarabande presents the soundtrack from "John Adams" by composers Rob Lane and Joseph Vitarelli, both of whom seem to be relative newcomers on the composing scene but deliver music as is the notes were guided by a steady, veteran pair of maestros. The soundtrack provides individual credits per track so that the listener will know who is responsible for the cue that he or she is listening to. The individual credits may be the only item that might differentiate between the two, however, as each composer brings a similar, consistent style to the HBO miniseries. Whether that style is ultimately successful as a listening experience will be answered shortly...

 

What You Need to Know: After watching the miniseries, I was totally invigorated by the main theme from "John Adams" as heard in the opening titles and end credits. While I am unsure if the composers collaborated on the thematic approach for this motif together or if one of the two wrote this piece on his own, what I can say is that the end result offers a tune that fully embraces the fact that a main theme should be memorable! It's been a while since there has been a theme that has stuck in my head for a prolonged period of time and this one satisfied that void. The flavor of it seemed to have captured echoes of the revolutionary period within its modern, orchestral delivery.

 

 This much appreciated main theme, however, only appears briefly throughout the rest of the score. While there is a full statement of it on track 5 (Leaving for Philadelphia), it never seems to be integrated enough on the rest of the soundtrack save for a few subtle, more quieter references to it. Beyond that, however, where "John Adams" the score becomes a bit one-dimensional is by its dramatic methods that it employs, which is certainly a by-product of the drama-heavy production itself. Since the miniseries doesn't fully engage within the battles of the Revolutionary War itself and truly takes on the definition of a bio-pic, the music is left to play on at slower, serious paces to effectively capture the moods of each episodes.

Though the pacing of the score falls into a slower pattern, each composer seems to do his best to make the most of the opportunity at hand. With that said, it's easy to tell that both Rob and Joseph are capable, talented composers who have an eye (or ear) for creating music that best serves the picture at hand. Had their been more military engagements or epic moments to score, than no doubt we would have heard the terrific main theme make a larger impact on the score proper. Instead, the listener is offered dramatic tones of music that is easily listenable, but like the series itself, could have been much more significant.

Final Grade: This soundtrack does receive a marginal recommendation from me. The main theme and its brief appearances are too valuable to pass up if you're any type of a soundtrack fan. The underscore might become a bit too heavy at times, but there is enough talent associated with the music to counterbalance such weight. So my advice is to go ahead and purchase this release at a lower rate, perhaps at iTunes or from another online store, and take the approach that this is an album with a few great highlights that you will enjoy on multiple occasions.

As for the composers from this mini-series -- they've certainly achieved enough on this soundtrack for me to keep an eye on their future works.