• Composed by Jeff Toyne
• MovieScore Media / 2014 / 33m

A tv movie starring Toni Braxton and David Julian Hirsch, Twist of Faith sees a man trying to rebuild his life after his wife and children are murdered.  Composer Jeff Toyne was previously known to me for his darker music (including the fine Shadow in the Trees) but a distinctly different side is heard in Twist of Faith, a particularly beautiful score.  The lengthy opening “Main Titles and Jacob’s Journey” is of particular note, interpolating Jewish folk music and blending it with just a hint of Georges Delerue’s 1980s dramatic sound; then in “Nina and Asher” another lovely theme – this time with the slightest echoes of Elmer Bernstein’s classic To Kill a Mockingbird, to my ears anyway.  I know it’s not always a compliment to be saying someone’s music reminds me of someone else’s – but a 2014 score with hints of Georges Delerue and Elmer Bernstein, that’s really something to be pleased with.

As the score enters its middle section, a new ingredient appears, a country folk tint with guitars joining the orchestra (to continue my vacuous comparisons – think of James Horner’s The Spitfire Grill).  A new theme is introduced in “Psalm 130” for harp – it has a spiritual feel, and more than the slight stylistic similarities mentioned previously, this time a more overt similarity to Ennio Morricone’s famous “Falls” theme in The Mission.  From start to finish, the album features music which isn’t just charming and lovely, it’s also clearly heartfelt and frequently very touching.  And while my frequent references to other film scores may make it appear that I’m speaking about some kind of temp-track rewrite, honestly I’m not – merely providing a frame of reference to more readily convey the sort of music on offer.  Perhaps the one thing that doesn’t quite raise it to the level of the other scores I’ve mentioned is the lack of a truly killer, truly memorable theme (while admittedly the main theme in particular is an absolute beauty, it doesn’t quite stick in the memory when the album’s finished); even so, it’s easy to recommend the album to anyone who likes beautiful orchestral long-lined melodic drama.

Rating: *** 1/2

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