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Good rendition of the movie. Overall great CD, however the acoustics are a bit off, hard to hear some of the words if its not cranked all the way up.
It is almost like watching the movie again. Just as in the movie the music was bloody good.
Sondheim fans who have avoided the DVD -- perhaps not wanting to witness the gallons of fake blood gushing and spurting throughout the second half -- should certainly consider adding this soundtrack to their collection. Depp's intonation slides all over the place -- perhaps that's a deliberate choice, but it detracts, particularly in "My Friends."The good: compared to the original Broadway recording, this film production allows and the actors deliver much greater dramatic range in their delivery of the emotional content of the songs. The bad: Ms. Carter's diction is often indistinct and Mr.
the "worst pies in london" song is phenomenal too, i love it. (check out Les Miserables soundtrack, too). i mostly bought this to hear the "Johanna" song sung by Jamie Campbell Bower and "Green Finch & Linnett Bird" sung by Jayne Wisener. if you like musicals as i do, you will like this. while some soundtracks (such as les mis) are ones that you can listen to all the way through since every song is great, it is not the case with this, i had to skip a few tracks to find the ones that really captivated me. Both beautiful people with amazing voices. the movie is spectacular as well but this really is what makes it as it is a musical after all.
The rest of the cast perform well, particularly Edward Sanders as Tobias, who convinces the listener that he really cares on "Not While I'm Around, "and Alan Rickman's duet with Depp on "Pretty Women" works surprisingly well. You can actually hear her struggling with the breathing as the rigors of Sondheim is a bit beyond her talents. A valiant effort but considering her importance to the musical this does have a negative effect on the recording. Depp's Sweeny is different from the typical theatrical portrayal of this character. This is definitely a worthy version of the musical due to Depp's performance, but doesn't stand up to some of the previous theatrical presentations. The only real problem is Helena Bonham-Carter's breathy readings are barely adequate. Gone is the powerful baritone usually found in the theater, replaced by the more naturalistic and world weary vocals of Depp, which prove as effective on this soundtrack as the did during the film. Carter talk- sings through some of the pieces fairly well, but when she's actually called upon to hold a note, she comes up a bit short.
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