When I first saw that they were going to recreate the television show “Miami Vice”, masking it into the next Hollywood blockbuster, I forecasted that Atlantic would cull together a listing of eighties music a la Grand Theft Auto: Vce City. This is not the case with this soundtrack, with Nonpoint, Moby, Mogwai, India.arie, Goldfrapp, and more all being present on this CD. Nonpoint cover Phil Collin’s compelling original “In The Air Tonight” and make it perhaps the most bland cover of a track since 311’s cover of The Cure, or Zug Izland’s version of “Cry”.
I understand that the singer is showing emotion, but the emotion is at the red level the entire time, and does not show the nuance or fluctuation that made the Collins original so, well original. The blend of old and new is properly executed when Moby and Patti Labelle blend together for “One of these Mornings”. The classical soul (and gospel) style of LaBelle is highlighted and underlined by Moby’s electronic underbeat. Mogwai is another act that I hadn’t heard of for a while (the legions of which on this soundtrack include Nonpoint and India.Arie), and they show on their “We’re No Here” that they have not lost a step in their few years off from the spotlight. The emotion shown with just the guitar work on this track surpasses anything that is shown with Nonpoint’s cover. Another tie of new and old comes in Felix Da Housecat’s remix of the Nina Simone track “Sinnerman”. Unlike Moby, Felix Da Housecat opts to go for something that has been done fairly often in dance music.
This keeps the energy up but does not really add much to the CD. There is little in the way of ties between the tracks on this soundtrack, which may be a good thing (if the action is like a Bond movie and changes types and locales often) or a bad thing (if there is a cohesive identity that was strived for by this arrangement). I would have to say that the former is the case with this soundtrack. Mogwai and King Britt are both stand-out acts on this soundtrack, and these acts should make purchase of this soundtrack the only logical thing to do. Say what you want about the movie, but the soundtrack gets pretty intense and impressive at times. If you find this in a store, buy this album.
Top Tracks: Mogwai “Auto Rock”, King Britt “New World In My View”
Rating: 6.2/10
OST: Miami Vice / 2006 Atlantic / 17 Tracks / http://www.miamivice.com / http://www.atlanticrecords.com / Reviewed 14 August 2006
[JMcQ]
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
Beats: Independent Music, PC Gaming & Peripherals, Consumer Tech, Webmaster Tools
Testing & Ethics: All hardware, software, and media reviews are conducted through hands-on evaluation in accordance with NeuFutur’s editorial independence standards; sponsored consideration is strictly excluded from editorial ratings.
Contact: editor@neufutur.com