Scent of a Woman

Director Martin Brest's directing career started with 'classic' 80's comedy, Beverly Hills Cop as well as the very amusing Midnight Run, but his recent resumé has turned toward weightier works such as Meet Joe Black and Scent of a Woman both of which were scored by Thomas Newman. Brest seems to appreciate the more orchestral side of Newman's composing style, particularly in Meet Joe Black with its lush strings throughout.

Scent of a Woman has a few quirkier features, but is mostly set on a bed of fragile strings and woodwinds. As his father Alfred did, Thomas Newman seems to have the ability to perform musical alchemy with his string writing and the way it's performed, which invariably gives his music a very fragile quality, the feeling that the texture could be shattered at any minute. It is also romantic without ever becoming sentimental which is an all too rare gift. The main themes are quite lovely, although not instantly memorable, but grow on the listener with each listen. Newman does not hit you over the head with them, but envelopes the listener in his gentle musical soundscape. Only in the final couple of cues does Newman let go some of the restraint to form a more imposing and satisfying conclusion.

The score is complimented by two source cues performed by The Tango Project, most famous of these is Por Una Cabeza, likely to at least be faintly familiar to most listeners. Its familiarity is about the only thing that counts against it since you notice it within the confines of Newman's own music, even if the style perfectly compliments the score. Those who enjoys the style of writing he employed for Little Women or How to Make an American Quilt fill find plenty to savour here, a quite charming little score.