The
soundtrack
to
Robert Zemeckis
' groundbreaking film adaptation of
Chris Van Allsburg
's popular
children's
book
The Polar Express
celebrates the season with both classic and contemporary holiday flair. Composers
Glen Ballard
and
Alan Silvestri
provide the latter, relying on swelling
choral
arrangements, tender
ballads
, and polarizing yuletide offerings from
Stephen Tyler
Josh Groban
.
Tyler
struts his stuff on the amiable but derivative
"Rockin' on Top of the World,"
a three-chord rave-up that finds the
Aerosmith
mouthpiece channeling a pack of howler monkeys, but it's
Groban
's syrupy, future
American Idol
favorite
"Believe"
that serves as the
's commercial centerpiece.
Tom Hanks
does his best
Gene Wilder
on the whimsical and strangely unnerving title track, a wonderfully unhinged performance that will have
Willy Wonka
fans clamoring for more, and the winsome vocals of preteens
Matthew Hall
Meagan Moore
give the
ballad
"When Christmas Comes to Town"
a real sense of wonder.
Silvestri
's
orchestral
pieces are effective in tone, yet ape
Danny Elfman
Edward Scissorhands
theme so shamelessly that lawyers on both sides must have had words early on in the production.
is ambitious for sure, but the fact that its most sincere pieces are the six classics that make up its caboose is telling. [The
Polar Express
is also available in a special edition that includes a decorative box and artwork from the book.] ~ James Christopher Monger