Music Composed by Mark Isham
Rating: **

Moviegoers asked a collective “next?” when this latest Nic Cage high-concept actioner hit theatres. Cage is a reluctant hero with the ability to see the near future and bed hot babes. Much to the shock of studio execs I’m sure, not even a new, fuller hairdo and the curvaceous Jessica Biel hanging from Cage’s arm could get butts in seats, so Next tanked at the box office. Along for this unfortunate ride was composer Mark Isham, who has previously dabbled in dicey sci-fi stories like Timecop and Impostor before becoming the composer of choice for films requiring stirring Americana-style scores.

Seemingly inspired by John Powell’s Paycheck (an effort slowly aquiring classic status judging by the number of times it has been referenced in action scores since), Isham’s Next mixes a traditional orchestra with hyperactive synth prelays for the action cues (”Give Me Two Minutes”, “Pier 15″, etc.) and ambient textures warmed up with solo piano for the more emotional moments… Or perhaps those where Cage nuzzles with Biel (”Destiny”, “Carlotti Defines”). The highlights, just a few: “Second and Broadway”, which mixes brisk string writing with punctuated brass chords underneath a driving timpani and

Mark Isham

sampled loops groove and “Shadow Group”, which is orchestrated in the same manner. The albums closer, “I Believe Anything Is Possible” summarizes the best the disc has to offer, starting with warm strings before segueing into a standard Hollywood-finale brass refrain before moving into a bells, bass and strings groove. Hearing these seperate layers slowly build together is interesting, but rarely heard like this previously on the album.

Next must be entirely servicable film music, but translated to disc it suffers from a serious case of anonymity. There isn’t much character to it, and the fact that it sounds so much like, and therefore must be compared to Powell’s Paycheck, a superior score with strong thematic ideas, doesn’t help. With only two modes in this generous forty-six minute album: someone runs, dial in the percussion — someone needs lovin’, dial in the piano and shimmering electronics, the see-sawing sequencing becomes somewhat predictable, and unfortunately by the time the album fades out you’ll be hard pressed to hold onto any of the score’s limited ideas, making Next a somewhat derivative and unmemorable Isham entry, considering there is more rewarding work from the composer which deserves exploring.

Music Composed and Produced by Mark Isham; Supervising Orchestrator: Conrad Pope; Orchestrators: Nan Schwartz, Erik Lundborg, Jeffrey Schindler, and Clifford J. Tasner; Conducted by Mike Nowak; Recorded and Mixed by Shawn Murphy; Label: Lakeshore Records, (LK 339192); Availability: In-print; U.S. Release Date: April 24, 2007.

01. 8:09 (2:10)
02. Give Me Two Minutes (3:19)
03. Destiny (2:07)
04. Pier 18 (3:37)
05. Carlotti Defines (2:50)
06. A Few Minutes Of Your Time (3:19)
07. Multiple Point Surveillance (2:34)
08. Who Knows What’s Safe (4:04)
09. Breaking News (4:08)
10. Second And Broadway (2:44)
11. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished (2:06)
12. Looking For A License Plate (2:09)
13. Shadow Group (2:04)
14. All Elements Execute! (2:05)
15. A Show Of Character (3:39)
16. I Believe Anything’s Possible (3:41)

Total Playing Time: 46:36