Babel (Music From and Inspired By the Motion Picture)

iTunes Review

Director Alejandro González Iñárritu completes the disparate trilogy of interlocking fate he began with Amores Perros and 21 Grams here, offering musical collaborator Gustavo Santaolalla an even wider geographical canvas to work with and garnering an Oscar nod in the bargain. The Argentine composer/musician (a surprise Oscar winner for Brokeback Mountain) rises ably to the task, suffusing his fretboard meditations with a dedicated mastery of indigenous Middle Eastern string instruments and incorporating field recordings of Moroccan tribal music. But on this expansive collection, Santaolalla's evocative original cues also serve as the axis for a dizzying array of world music and international pop. As the "music from and inspired by" subtitle suggests, not all of this latter music is used in the film. Yet these selections nonetheless rise far above typical marketing gambits, contributing to a rich, pan-cultural musical tapestry that interweaves the composer's North African-rooted musings with tracks that literally range from Tijuana to Tokyo. Those latter choices range from the brooding sonic aura of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Susumu Yolota, dollops of effusive Norteno that include Los Incomparables and Agua Caliente, the teen-pop of Takashi Fujii, and Shinichi Osawa's smart EW&F/Fat Boy Slim mash-up.