Shrek 2 (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
The runaway success of Dreamworks' original digitally animated spoof of classic fairy tales (and the Disney versions in particular) quite naturally spawned a sequel that follows the further misadventures of the lovable green ogre, his donkey pal and Princess Fiona. But while the second installment'spop song-scoreis responsible for much of its crisp pace and contemporary cultural savvy, this eclectic (mostly) orchestral score by composer Harry Gregson-Williams largely serves to anchor the film in the very genre it's lampooning. Yet it's also music that serves as the tale's crucial, if deftly understated emotional heart. The composer immediately grounds us in tradition via "Prince Charming"'s majesties and the pastoral "Leaving Home" before the royal brass flourishes of "Far Far Away" suddenly come unhinged and the score becomes increasingly, if ever so subtly, tongue-in-cheek. By the time we reach the garish Hollywood cliches of "The Ball" and the cheesy TV-jazz of "Tonight on 'Knights'" the jig is clearly up, but by then Gregson-Williams has thoroughly enchanted us with a score that masterful incorporates influences that range from minuets and waltzes to madrigal and romantic symphonic pomp.--Jerry McCulley