A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

A classy chick flick, How to Make an American Quilt features the slightly heavy metaphor of a summer spent by a teenage girl sewing a quilt with her aunts and other older friends teaching her all about the rich tapestry of life.  Sumptuous to look at, it made for classic earnest drama territory for composer Thomas Newman, hot on the heels of Little Women and, from a musical standpoint, perhaps a fairly close relative.  There is a warm hue saturated across the whole score which makes it simply lovely to sit and listen to, with Newman's typically rich woodwind textures never having sounded finer.

It is a more restrained, less showy score than Little Women and so no doubt some fans will not enjoy it as much, but in its way it is just as beautiful, with the "Quilting Theme" amongst the composer's most attractive.  "The Life Before" introduces a bluesy wordless female vocal solo, bringing back happy memories of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistlestop Cafe (another of the composer's finest works), and also bringing in some lovely piano music fairly similar to the autumnal beauty of Scent of a Woman, later explored further in the brief but gorgeous "The Sensation of Falling".  "Hyacinth and Gladiola" and then "Night Orchard" introduce some subtle music full of restrained feeling and emotion.

The fullest exposition of the main theme, "An American Quilt", is stunningly beautiful, worth the price of the CD alone.  Of course, there is plenty besides which makes it a worthwile purchase, though some will no doubt be annoyed by the brevity of the score selections (about 25 minutes, with the rest of the album being made up of some nice songs).  But in those 25 minutes, it makes a real impression, and is just the right length that when it comes to a close, you can happily just set it going off again.  As I said above, it is a score of such warmth that it's simply a pleasure to listen to.

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Tracks

1. Quilting Theme (1:43)
2. The Life Before (2:23)
3. Swinging on a Star Bing Crosby (2:29)
4. Hyacinth and Gladiola (1:41)
5. Night Orchard (1:56)
6. He Never Came Back (1:47)
7. Cherry, Cherry Neil Diamond (2:43)
8. You Belong to Me Patsy Cline (3:03)
9. Sophia (2:10)
10. The Sensation of Falling (:36)
11. Foolish Things (:53)
12. Riffin' at the Ritz Benny Goodman (3:27)
13. At Last Etta James (3:00)
14. Anna Loves / Leaves (1:37)
15. Crow (1:16)
16. An American Quilt (3:36)
17. I Don't Want to Set the World on Fire The Ink Spots (2:59)
18. Portraits / Pond (2:00)
19. Where Love Resides (1:01)
20. The Diver (2:43)