This score just has me jumping with excitement! Bill Conti too often falls into obscurity with the more less-than-casual listeners. For me, he's one of the few composers who, through the 90's, continued the tradition of employing heavy melody and theme within his work. Meanwhile, he never strayed too far from the beauty and power of an orchestra, especially in a time when synthetic ambience was taking a huge stand in cinema (late 90's). There are moments in WRONGFULLY ACCUSED that are utterly brilliant in their execution. Take the opening cue as an example, Lord of the Violin; the hammering percussion agressively matures against the strings, taking the cue into heights of thrilling aggressiveness. You would never imagine this was a scene in which an actor was parodying the performance, as it was on screen. Even the ending of the cue--around 4:30, where the real parody kicks in--the electric elements are just low enough to allow the percussion of the orchestra to sustain a very intriguing balance of old vs. new. I love when composers blend genres together, or connect classical and contemporary into one single cue. Michael Kamen was especially good at this, i.e. Highlander.
"Afternoon Affair" is probably one of Conti's most beautifully composed cues. It's De Niro or Brando-calibur. Again, it's quite amazing this music is backing a comedy, but like Doug mentions, he plays it so "straight" that it likely makes the film much more effective. I was waiting for James Bond's new lady to pop up while listening to this track (no such luck
).
Also, listen to how much is going on instrumentally in "Over the Edge." There's no finer example to utilize when discussing Doug's stance on separating the orchestra in the mastering. This has more separation than a marathon of Judge Judy. It's pulse-pounding, but it also flushes out the brass, the percussion, the strings, etc. very intelligently. I can actually make out the little nuances without having to crank up the sound and damage my hearing. It's a fantastic cue.
I'm glad to finally own this album, and anyone on the fence should really not risk losing the opportunity in owning this incredible Conti score. It has everything one could ask for: elements of parody, action, romance, drama--you name it, it's here.
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