VARIOUS ARTISTS
"A Star is Born: Original Soundtrack" (Insterscope
Records; 2018)
Reviewed by Snidermann
Let’s
get something straight up front from the beginning:
I did not want to like the movie "A Star is Born" (how many times
they gonna re-make this thing anway?) and I did not want to like the soundtrack.
Well, I loved both!
Never in a million years did I think I
was going to review any music Bradley Cooper made.
Lady Gaga ... well, she's another story
... I just want her to do a metal release (she was awesome on the Grammys with
Metallica -- and rumour has it that she followed Iron Maiden around for a number
of shows so she must be a big fan).
So what did I learn from the "A Star is Born" soundtrack? Well, Bradley Cooper can sing ... but maybe not great. I think what they did was tailor a bunch of songs in his key and then played to his strengths. If he were just a singer. then his second release would probably suck. But the soundtrack to "A Star Is Born," does not.
Suck, maybe not. But can it get long-winded in places? Yes that is just what it does but that just adds to the overall coolness of this recording. This is a wanna-be rocker’s wet dream. Being able to write, play music, record it with a backing band with everything produced around your vocal range. I would love to be able to do what Bradley Cooper did for this recording. He sang ... perhaps not great ... but all in all delivered a very good vocal performance. Granted, I really do not want to hear another recording of Bradley on vocals ... once is good enough for me.
Now, Lady Gaga, on the other hand, is simply an outstanding vocal specimen! This soundtrack proves that she does not need anything other than her voice, a piano and a back-up band. Lady Gaga is very strongly in her element here and she's proven that she's even better than that.
Overall, this is a very good, strong rock'n'roll performance that I really liked (even it was tailor-made for its star). However, from what I heard on this recording, I am not going to call it a soundtrack; I am going to call it a very well put together rock release that deserves all the praise it can get. It doesn't matter where good music comes from and in this case, it was Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper and all whatever production went on in the studio. As I mentioned, sometimes the music does seem drag on a bit but this is still a great rock'n'roll album.
Rating Guide:
A classic. This record will kick your ass.
Killer. Not a classic but it will rock your world.
So-so. You've heard better.
Pretty bad. Might make a nice coaster.
Self explanatory. Just the sight of the
cover makes you wanna hurl.
Copyright © 2019 by R. Scott Bolton. All rights
reserved.
