Ruby Cairo

Although a fairly obscure entry in Barry's recent body of work, I had heard of Ruby Cairo in the context of Barry's score, but was completely unaware as to what it was about. It appears to be something of a romantic thriller with Andie McDowell tracking down her apparently deceased husband with the help of Liam Neeson only to discover that he's an international criminal. Apparently rather old fashioned stuff and I think it would be fair to say the film pretty much sank without trace. Barry's album however is another more than worthy listen and gratefully received after only being released in Japan originally due to the films lack of success.

The album opens with a Flamenco version of the main theme which honestly seems a little strange to me given that the impression I get is that it's mainly set in Egypt and not Spain. However, it fits in nicely and makes a good opener to the album. The theme itself is a typically lyrical Barry melody, often performed on acoustic guitar which heightens its appeal. While starting off in familiar romantic vein, the intrigue of the film catch up with Barry's music and the tone actually ends up as more of a serious take on a Bond score. The urgency of tracks such as Berlin Fashion is set well against the tension produced during Come, We Must Hurry which is a superior slice of suspense scoring. Of course there are a few broader moments, most notably in the gorgeous Pyramid of Cheops (and not chops as you might have thought) which has all the grandeur of Barry's more famous Out of Africa.

The album rounds out with a vocal version of the main theme sung by Kristina Nicchols. Despite being well performed, the arrangement is perhaps a little dated sounding, but even so, doesn't seem too incongruous next to the remainder of the score. Apparently Barry didn't have a good time on the film despite working with director Graeme Clifford previously on Frances, but even so, Barry managed to come up with a score, the quality of which, far outstrips that of the film it was written for. Apparently the original Japanese release had the stereo channels reversed, so I think it would be fair to say this is the definitive release of the score. With brief, but informative liner notes by somebody I've never met, the whole package is a worthy addition to the pantheon of Barry scores.