Soundtrack Review: Salt (2010)

Salt Soundtrack Review: This is a review of the motion picture score Salt by James Newton Howard.

"Salt by James Newton Howard is a solid action score, but..."

Salt is an complicated spy thriller directed by Phillip Noyce starring Angelina Jolie. Complicated because it is about double-agents, triple-agents, quadruple... well you get the point. Very exciting movie I have to say and it has a few surprises in store as well. James Newton Howard is the composer and was presented with a few challenges along the way. Will it be a substandard thriller score or something special? Let's find out.

Track List

1. Prisoner Exchange	****
2. Escaping The CIA	****
3. Cornered	****
4. Orlov's Story	*****
5. Chase Across DC	*****
6. Hotel Room Preparations/Parade	***
7. Attack On St. Bart's Cathedral	****
8. A Dark Goddamn Hole	****
9. Taser Puppet	*****
10. You Are My Greatest Creation	***
11. Destiny	***
12. Barge Apocalypse	***
13. Day X	***
14. I'm Going Home	****
15. Eight Floors Down	****
16. Arming The Football	****
17. Not Safe With Me	***
18. You're About To Become Famous	****
19. Mano a Mano	****
20. Garroted	****
21. Go Get Em	*****

Back On Track

How do you get back on the road after The Last Airbender? Well, to tell you the truth, we don't know when James Newton Howard scored what, but it's quite a task to top his possibly greatest work for cinema. Salt is a completely different movie which requires a very different sound. It's a spy thriller/action movie with emphasis on the action, but as we all know, Howard has gotten his action-mojo on in recent years and stepped it up a notch or two.

As expected, this 1 hour long score is filled with action, but is it good action or just generic sounds meshed into a boring action score? It starts off with the 'Prisoner Exchange' and it works out well, both in the film and on album, but as good as it might be, it still lacks something. Not until 'Orlov's Story' we hear something really good. A slow buildup, some female vocals and a tense underlying rhythm pushing it forward, then at around the 2:20 mark it really begins. For people who don't enjoy the latest Howard trend of action scoring built on heavy percussion, this might not be the best, but I truly enjoy it. It was one of my favorite finds in The Last Airbender and I'm glad Howard hasn't abandoned the idea.

Action/Theme

'˜Chase Across DC' is perhaps the best cue on the score action-wise. It is heavy on percussion, horns and has a very strong pull that never lets you go. Some really good action scoring there and you can hear the theme of Salt quite clearly.

The theme of Salt is a two-note motif heard throughout the score and it's very easy to hear in the movie. Whenever Angelina Jolie is doing an action sequence, you can hear it. In 'Chase Across DC' from 1:06 and forward, you can hear the 2-note motif with a sort of delayed echo feel before it changes pitch. Not the greatest theme on album, but I really enjoyed it in the movie.

Conclusion

Salt by James Newton Howard is a solid action score, but not as good as I was hoping. There's a lot of filler music here in between the really good cues and although there is a lot of it, I was expecting that Howard pushed the action more and especially the percussion sound which is my new favorite. The theme comes across as quite weak on the album which is a letdown and I feel that Salt deserved more.

CUE RATING: 78

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Listen to the Salt soundtrack by James Newton Howard below:

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