• Composed by Rupert Gregson-Williams
• Lakeshore Records / 2014 / 39m

Popular British kids’ tv character Portman Pat – who is a postman called Pat – gets his first movie adventure in the imaginatively-titled Postman Pat: The Movie.  An important thing to note about Postman Pat is that he has a black and white cat – and almost as important to note is that early in the morning – in fact, just as day is dawning – he picks up all the postbags in his van.  I had to impart that information to you because if you listen to this CD then you won’t discern it – because, unforgivably (and inexplicably) there is no sign of the wonderful title song from the kids’ show.  Now, most of my readers are American and so probably don’t even know what a postman is, let alone who Postman Pat is, but trust me on this – a Postman Pat album without the title song is an act of insanity rarely seen in this world.  Still, it isn’t there, so let’s not dwell (he says, embarking on a week-long trip into a darkened room to contemplate the fall of society).  What is on the CD is Rupert Gregson-Williams’s pleasant score for the film.

It doesn’t have the theme, but the album does start with a theme.  It’s a bit generic – that sort of pleasant, fairly indistinct pastoral sound which has been heard in a number of Dreamworks Animation scores over the years.  It’s not without its charm, but it does feel a bit characterless, and such is the way of the album.  There is nothing remotely offensive here, any of the little cues could be listened to in isolation and provide some pleasure, it’s well-crafted and comes across as innocent fun.  But it can’t be ignored that it really does struggle to find any identity of its own – it’s absolutely a pleasant diversion for 40 minutes or so – and frankly that’s all you need from time to time – but don’t expect to remember any of it once it’s finished.  I shouldn’t overdo that because parts of the score are genuinely lovely – there is a really nice whimsy to “Sara Needs to Talk” and one or two other tracks that would bring a warm smile to most faces – and when the action gets a little more expansive, it’s great fun.  It’s slick and professional and it does have a heart; its problem is that I’m not really sure I’m hearing much that I haven’t heard many times before.

Rating: ***

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