Llanelli Star

SOUND JUDGEMENT

THE BEST FILM SOUNDTRACK­S OF THE YEAR

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MARY POPPINS RETURNS

ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK

★★★★★

SET 24 years after the practicall­y perfect nanny left the Banks’ lives, this new sequel sees Emily Blunt land via umbrella to help the Banks family in the magical way that only she can.

This is a Disney soundtrack from top to bottom. It was never going to be easy following the classic songs made famous by Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, but Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s vocals are sharp and clear, evoking memories of the original. Marc Shaiman’s orchestrat­ion is out of this world, and transports you back to the 1930s and Scott Wittman’s lyrics.

BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

THE ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK

★★★★★

AT the first take, one might assume the soundtrack for Bohemian Rhapsody is just another compilatio­n album of the band’s greatest hits. But it’s so much more than that.

Yes, there is a fair whack of some of the group’s best-loved songs, but it’s also filled with nearly a dozen previously unreleased recordings, all of which feature in the film. There are five tracks from Queen’s iconic Live Aid performanc­e in 1985, which makes up the climactic conclusion to the film, as well as a 1974 recording of Keep Yourself Alive from London’s Rainbow Theatre and the 1985 Rock in Rio festival version of Love of My Life.

A STAR IS BORN

OFFICIAL SOUNDTRACK

★★★★★

THE third remake of A Star Is Born has been in the pipeline since 2011 and two years ago Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper signed up to the project. Without seeing the film, there is quite a divide in musical style, but the listener will get the gist of the tale. Cooper gives a bluesy performanc­e on the grinding opening track Black Eyes and Alibi. Meanwhile Gaga transforms from club singer to a pop/R&B artist. Heal Me and Why Did You Do That? are highlights, but Gaga truly shines in the ballads Always Remember Us This Way and the closer (and possible spoiler) I’ll Never Love Again. These songs are good enough to stand alone but work best in context of the film.

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