With the great many soundtracks I have listened to in my years, nearly all of them can be summed up as entertaining ventures.  When I hear a score from a film or videogame, it's very rare that the nature of either makes a profound, dramatic impact on me as far as the 'real world' goes.  While certainly, there are moments of inspiration and reflection with certain pieces of music, it's rare that a score can make me ponder consequences that are as grave as what took place during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.  Terence Blanchard's thoughtful score, "A Tale of God's Will," did just that.

 

"A Tale of God’s Will" is the soundtrack to Spike Lee’s documentary of Hurricane Katrina entitled, When The Levees Broke. Blanchard's score for it is brought forth from a personal vantage point as the composer had lived in New Orleans for most of his life.  Perhaps its because of this background that the emotion of the music feels so vivid and real as there are certain life experiences involved in the texture of the score.  Often times, you can tell when a piece of work feels honest and this is as earnest as it gets. 

 

The score combines trumpet, saxophone, piano, a modest sized orchestra, and other instruments to deliver music that reflects the personality of New Orleans; music that is often times coupled with the harsh realities that are being faced.  From the lack of care in building the levees to the aftermath of the hopelessness, Blanchard captures the tone with great meaning and poignancy.  The music never swells over the top nor does it force feed dramatic cues just for the sake of it.  Everything that I heard from this score is channeled directly through the raw emotions that the composer himself has faced and experienced.  For instance, while there are ominous chords of tragedy in the body of work, yet there is also a touch of hopefulness and a yearning to heal. Particularly effective is the sound of Blanchard's solo trumpet, which cascades through the speakers as if it is crying aloud.  Hearing this, it again reaffirms that music can indeed be mournful.

 

The majority of the score is jazz influenced, appropriately enough.  These jazz influences harkens back to a better time and conjures up echoes of the past. However, when the score is most impacting is when the jazz sounds become darkened in tone to depict a tragic notation to the present day situation.  In a way, its as if the musical voice of New Orleans is going to be heard through good times and bad, which makes for an effective brand of score material.  Once again, I commend Blanchard on the thoughtfulness of his writing. 

 

The CD is released by The Blue Note Label Group and great care was taken with the look of it.  It's an elegantly designed presentation.  Of additional interest to me were the liner notes written by Blanchard and other contributors to this album.  It provides an even deeper insight as to how meaningful this project was to Blanchard and the team involved with this score and gives insight as to what inspired each of the tracks.

 

Ultimately, this is a score that can be enjoyed for its purpose, its style and the emotion it conveys.  Now, it's not a soundtrack that can be listened to on any occasion, but if you're in a mood to listen to music that you can reflect on and be touched by, then I recommend you look into this one.