A review by JAMES SOUTHALL

I must admit that I was probably the only person in the world not entirely convinced as to the appeal of the original Shrek.  It seemed far too cynical for its own good and not nearly as clever or funny as it thought it was.  Still, tens of millions of people round the world disagreed and so a sequel was somewhat inevitable.  Writing the music for the original was the team of John Powell and Harry Gregson-Williams, who had successfully worked together before, and their score was a lovely, magical affair, surprisingly full of wit and sophistication.  Given that they've both forged extremely successful solo careers since (though an "Additional music by... [insert 35 names here]" credit never seems too far from them), it was not surprising that when the time came to choose a composer for the sequel, only one of them would get the gig, and HGW was the lucky fellow.

His music is composed much in the same spirit as the first one, with some fun themes, little set pieces and magical moments thrown in all the way along.  The familiar main theme (credited to both Powell and Gregson-Williams) returns and is thrown through many variations.  While the score is predictably bitty, each piece is nicely self-contained so it doesn't particularly feel as frustrating as listening to scores for animations can sometimes be.  Particular highlights include the sweeping waltz "Family Dinner", amusing hispanic action music in "By the Ol' Oak", sweet and lovely "Annoying Talking Animal" (it may be faux sincerity, but it's hard to resist), exciting and exaggerated action segments of "The Potion Room", the delightful big band pastiche "The Ball" and the rousing finale of "Get the Wand", "All is Revealed" and "Dragon!"

Gregson-Williams seems to be scoring an extraordinary number of films at the moment, but in amongst them is some genuinely entertaining music.  There are some misfires too but, along with Powell, he has emerged as a fine film composer in his own right.  With a project of the scale of The Chronicles of Narnia coming up for him, he is clearly only going to keep going from strength to strength, which is a great thing for film music fans.  Shrek 2 is a lovely album, stronger than the composer's previous animated score for Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas.  This one's recommended.

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Tracks

1. Prince Charming (2:03)
2. Leaving Home (1:10)
3. Far Far Away (1:42)
4. Family Dinner (2:08)
5. Fiona's Room (:59)
6. We Need to Talk (1:30)
7. The Poison Apple (1:17)
8. The Factory (1:38)
9. By the Ol' Oak (2:00)
10. Annoying Talking Animal (2:42)
11. The Potion Room (2:26)
12. Deep Fried (1:58)
13. Not Meant to Be (2:46)
14. The Ball (1:07)
15. The Prince of her Dreams (2:13)
16. Tonight on "Knights" (:46)
17. Magic Tea (1:47)
18. The Mission (1:30)
19. Muffin Man (1:07)
20. Get the Wand (2:05)
21. All is Revealed (3:14)
22. Dragon! (:37)