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The release is kicked off by an enjoyable song, "The Mighty," performed by Sting. This encompasses the central theme to the score which gets a thorough run later in the score. I'm usually a bit stand-offish when it comes to vocal songs written for movies, but seeing as the music was written by Jones himself, it is really a good listen. Things begin to sober up as "Past Times" mournfully emerges to the forefront. This is the initial appearance of the down-home theme. Jones links it up with an upbeat, yet hesitant, Celtic motif which is quite an effective touch. Basically, this track primes the listener with nearly every theme that will pop up as the score plays on. Next comes the trance-like track "Dreaming Clouds." Light synth and lilting piano softly pulse in and out to elicit a relaxed, pleasant aural sensation.
Jones begins to darken things a tad when "Life's Rough" comes up. A solitary piano and soothing strings emit a sense of tragedy in this cue. Jones continues to build and build until the music culminates into an all out dark climax with the turbulent "Danger By The Lake." Dark and choppy grunts, for lack of a better term, from a male chorus and the percussion section strike the ears. Stabbing strings help accentuate the tension. Jones really sets the mood here. The creativity shown here makes it, to me, one of the best tracks. "City Walkers" is more upbeat, spunky fun. The harmonica and guitar riffs here are a blast.
"The Mighty Quest" brings the score back to a ponderous and uncertain stretch. The aforementioned solitary piano is beautifully prominent in the first couple of minutes. Jones then begins to utilize the approach I loved in MERLIN toward the final five minutes of the track. The main theme is backed by an otherworldly melody that erupts into the first colorfully bold reading of THE MIGHTY's main theme. Next is the highlight of the entire release. "My Noble Knight" has to be one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever experienced in my job as an avid soundtrack listener. These vocals are absolutely beautiful and quite heartbreaking. Vocalist Miriam Stockley starts out solo and is eventually joined by a few other women singers. This track stops me in my tracks. I praise Trevor Jones for such a heavenly piece of music. The music here is worth the price of the CD alone.
Truly, THE MIGHTY succeeds on nearly every level as a score. It is staggeringly diverse in terms of style and orchestration. After looking in the booklet, it came as a complete surprise to me that it was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra. The normally enormous sound emitted from them only gets a couple of exercises here. The last of the few orchestrally big segments occurs in "Free To Fly." As victory seems apparent in the movie's climax, triumphant trumpets sound the heralding of the main theme's final appearance. "Future Times" simultaneously combines every musical style into an uplifting piece of music. Trevor Jones, as his career progresses, is solidifying himself as one of my favorite composers. Such outstanding efforts such as THE MIGHTY also shows that he is one of the most talented.
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