George Lucas's celebration of the Tuskogee Airmen, "Red Tails," is in theaters still paying tribute to the African-American fighter pilots who served their country in World War II. February is Black History Month, and one way to recognize it would be to take in a screening of the movie. Another way would be to pick up the soundtrack from the film, which was put together by African-American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, arranger, and film score composer Terence Blanchard.
"Red Tails (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)" features an eclectic mix of exciting classical instrumentation performed by the Prague FILMharmonic Orchestra and Choir. Elements are weaved together with Blanchard's love of percussion, electronics, and funk. You can definitely hear his jazz influence throughout the score. Some of the tracks even have a "Top Gun" feel to them through the use of synthesizer and keyboard sounds.
Many of the tracks are fast-paced; you can practically see the fighter planes soaring through your mind towards their targets, such as when you hear "Lightning in Trouble." Other songs are softer and will no doubt conjure feelings of romanticism from listeners. One of those tracks is "The Proposal," featuring music influenced by the sounds of Italy. There are marches that will remind viewers of the narrow prison escapes and aerial battles in the film.
There's an emotional rendition of "America the Beautiful" attached to the "End Credits" track. We also get some bonus tracks of actual World War II era songs like "It's Been a Long, Long Time" performed by Harry James and His Orchestra; "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" performed by The Andrews Sisters with Vic Schoen and His Orchestra; and "Blue Skies" performed by Maxine Sullivan and her Orchestra. "Bless You," as performed by The Ink Spots, is also featured.
All the tracks combined make for a great collection of World War II-inspired music. The experience is enhanced by the jazz influence sprinkled throughout the album. The soundtrack disc couldn't fit the movie better, perfectly blending together the modern feeling of cinema with the classic musical sounds of war films from the 1930s and 1940s.
Lovers of eclectic movie scores who don't limit themselves stylistically will love this soundtrack. There are hints of several different nationalities and musical influences to be heard throughout the album, all coming together in the end to give us a rousing, inspiring, emotional listening experience.
The "Red Tails" soundtrack features 32 tracks. It was released through Sony Masterworks. The CD release retails for around $13.00. You can get it as a digital download for around $11.00.
For more articles by Eric Shirey, check out:
'Red Tails' Soars High for Audiences, Grounded by Critics
The Force Is With 'Star Wars: Episode I 3D'
'The Clone Wars' Voice Actress Reflects on 'Episode I' Legacy
Eric Shirey is the founder and former editor of Rondo Award nominated movie news websites MovieGeekFeed.com and TheSpectralRealm.com. His work has been featured on Yahoo!, DC Comics, StarWars.com, and other entertainment websites. Eric has interviewed and worked with actors like Harrison Ford, Brooke Shields, Gerard Butler, Brendan Fraser, Selena Gomez, and many more.
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