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Review: Jack Foley
THE cool vibe surrounding all things Ocean's 11 is retained in
the soundtrack to that film's sequel, Ocean's 12.
Featuring the return of DJ/producer, David Holmes, the soundtrack
is another exquisitely slick affair that effortlessly taps into
the debonair charm of the movie, while helping to lend the film
its super-cool feel.
Ocean's 11 featured such Holmes classics as 69 Police
and Gritty Shaker, mixed in with choice cuts from Elvis
Presley (A Little Less Conversation), and The Handsome
Boy Modeling School (The Projects), not to mention Perry
Como (Papa Loves Mambo).
Ocean's 12 features an all-new score from Holmes, as well as
guest slots from the likes of Gianni Ferrio (L'Appuntamento)
and Dynastie Crisis (Faust 72), which underline the chic
European feel of the movie.
The soundtrack works best when Holmes is fully at play, delivering
a fresh blast of funky, sixties/seventies Lalo Schifrin-inspired
grooves, packed with organ-heavy wah-wah and laidback skits.
His opening salvo, £165 Million, is a classic
case in point, a sharp, edgy joyride of a tune that also serves
to get the movie going (as Clooney's Danny Ocean is forced to
flee the nearby advances of Andy Garcia's vengeful Terry Benedict).
Yet the same hip vibe is carried throughout several of the other
numbers, which mark several of the film's cons and heists in locations
varying from Italy's Lake Como and Rome, to the backstreets of
Amsterdam, or even Paris and Monte Carlo.
Stealing The Stock is a gloriously pumped up, fast-moving
affair, while the brash trumpet fanfare which permeates throughout
The Day Of contains all the swagger of Ocean's crew,
not to mention their style.
It is a showboat for the movie and for Holmes, which can't fail
to get you excited.
There are inevitable moments, of course, when things feel too
soundtrack-driven and completely lost with no scene in mind -
such as the tension builders.
But they are few and far between and Holmes manages to come away
with a soundtrack that could just as easily work on its own, providing
plenty of hip-shaking dance numbers that really get you into the
funky groove.
This is epitomised by the fantastic Yen On A Carousel,
a sublime mix of trendy beats, cracking guitar riffs and 69 Police-style
organs that mark the soundtrack at its feelgood finest.
Or the album closer, Ascension to Virginity, by Dave
Grusin, which veers perilously close to cheesy Eurotrash territory,
before emerging as a Seventies-soaked disco favourite that is
simply too cool for words.
In short, this is one soundtrack that's worth owning even if
you haven't seen the movie. If you have, then you'll probably
already know what I mean.
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