What You Need to Know: When there is a charge to produce music that is unpredictable yet organized, there is a real risk of it not paying off. When it comes to "Torchwood" and composers Gold and Foster, it's a challenge that they were game for. This is a rich, consistent and entertaining score!
Having somewhat tread this ground previously with the music of "Dr. Who," it benefited the "Torchwood" project by having Gold and his musical arranger Foster on board to tackle the new series. Foster expanded his role with "Torchwood," to say the least, by writing music alongside of Gold that paces the season's first year. How either of these two talents were able to come up with such fluid and interesting concepts on such short demand rather bewilders me. As we all know, writing television music is a challenging enough assignment, given the time constraints, but you wouldn't know that with this score. The music flows with great ease and confidence. Indeed, hearing the music from both "Dr. Who" and "Torchwood" makes one realize that the television music in the U.S. is a galaxy apart in comparison.
The material on the soundtrack makes the most out of its 32 tracks on the disc. There are various points during its running time that character themes emerge, thus enabling a thematically interesting score to develop specific to the show's cast. The beauty of the theme sets is that the work ranges from the sweet (Jack's Love Theme) to the heartfelt (Owen's theme) and the rousing (Captain Jack). Amid the themes, there is a blend of modern sci-fi elements and original, energetic motifs to indulge in, giving this score it's character and swagger. However, the overriding attribute related to "Torchwood" is perhaps its originality, providing the listener with a sense of unpredictable fun throughout the CD's running time.
For fans clamoring for a taste of orchestral beauty, there is plenty of that represented on "Torchwood" as well. These sweeping and often compelling moments extend a feeling of drama that makes the show feel a bit more grounded even with it's fantastic scenarios in play. After all, what good is a show or movie if we, the audience, cannot invest in the characters? The music here helps us bridge those ties, especially when the score ushers in powerful statements that, more often than not, are reserved for the big screen. This brings me to my next point which is that "Torchwood," and "Dr. Who" before it, are genre/medium busters -- television music that plays as if it hailed from a wildly creative cinematic canvas. It's a soundtrack that's brimming with quality and is as good an investment as any score fan come hope to make.
