USA TODAY International Edition
‘A Star Is Born’ tunes sparkle
Soundtrack looks to be more than 1-hit wonder
It’s the wail that launched a thousand tweets. A third of the way through “A Star Is Born,” diffident waitress Ally (Lady Gaga) reluctantly takes the stage with country megastar Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) to perform “Shallow,” a power ballad the lovebirds co-wrote that has become the movie’s unofficial theme song. Visibly nervous at first, but cheered on by Jackson and the roaring crowd, Ally gradually gains confidence and launches into a guttural howl in the duet’s bridge, effectively becoming a “star” in that very moment. It’s a euphoric feat of vocal gymnastics that never fails to thrill, no matter how many times you might have seen the trailer or countless memes it’s inspired. But “Shallow” is also only one of 17 original songs recorded and written by Gaga and Cooper for the show-biz drama, with the help of music heavyweights including Diane Warren, Mark Ronson, Lukas Nelson and Jason Isbell. How could the rest of the soundtrack ever hope to reach those heights – or, in this case, depths? The good news is Gaga and Cooper are more than up to the task. Although Jackson’s purist ghost would undoubtedly scoff at the very suggestion, “A Star Is Born” features a slew of other potential hits for its two stars, whose “Shallow” has enjoyed a nearly uninterrupted run at No. 1 on iTunes since its release more than a week ago. Gaga, in particular, eclipses her own “Shallow” performance on a number of tracks: “Is That Alright?” is Ally’s swoon-worthy ode to Jackson, painting an evocative picture of their whirlwind romance as Gaga deftly alternates between tender storyteller and throaty power belter. The piano-driven “Always Remember Us This Way” ranks up there with 2009’s “Speechless” and 2013’s “Dope” as one of Gaga’s best ballads, and her loungey take on Edith Piaf ’s “La Vie En Rose” is at once stirring and sexy. And with “I’ll Never Love Again,” the film’s devastating emotional closer, Gaga gets her own Whitney Houston moment. Although Jackson isn’t afforded any of the types of barn-storming songs that Ally is, Cooper proves himself to be a musical dynamo, snarling his way through pummeling stadium-rock anthems “Black Eyes” and “Alibi.”