For the Love of the Game has not arrived in the UK yet, but judging from the booklet artwork, it appears that Kevin Costner is revisiting his Field of Dreams and Basil Poledouris seems to be sanctifying whacking a ball with a stick of wood. ('Apologies to our American visitors if I appear to be sacrilegious.) The opening Main Title has a persistent other-worldly, mystical-sounding ostinato that supports a broad romantic/heroic theme. It also has a folksy charm too. In fact, this attractive, melodic score has some considerable charm and beauty. Think of Mark Isham's A River Runs Through It or Thomas Newman's The Horse Whisperer, and you have its essence. The best material is contained in the slower dreamier cues (the alternatives tend to bring one down to earth with too much of a bump.) 'Relationship Montage' is relaxed and cosy with a dialogue for guitars over sustained high string chords leading into a piano solo that takes up and embroiders the material - the music is sort of country and western and smoochy-paced. 'Tuttle knockdown' retains the guitars but the mood darkens to the discordantly sinister with timpani and synth stiffenings. The beautiful cue, 'Jane's Home' is cosily, sentimental again with familiar genre material given a fresher, more richly harmonised treatment; piano solo and warm string colours abound but the distinguishing feature is Poledouris's writing for intertwining upper woodwinds. [This cue is worth the price of the CD alone.] 'Gus Hits' is country and western dancing. 'Lemonade' is bitter/sweet with a pastoral atmosphere. 'The Apology' recalls Copland's middle America and is again sweetly introspective and almost prayer-like. 'No hits' maintains the mood of quiet meditation; the music becomes even more mystical with a slower version of the heroic elements of the Main Title music broadening out to reach a treatment one usually associates with the grandeur of western landscapes; but the cue ends somewhat disconsolately. 'The Decision' has the piano meditating the main theme first over high strings before the mid-and-lower strings add sympathy and warmth allowing the music to become increasingly ennobled through the remainder of the cue and on into 'Last Pitch' where voices add intensity. But this final cue slumps because it has to sums up all the material stated in the previous tracks. Personally I will be cueing tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 7,8 and 9 for future listening, and substituting a picture of quiet pastoral beauty (Yosemite for instance?) for the non-informative booklet. Reviewer Ian Lace	Reviewer Ian Lace Reviews from previous months Reviews carry sales links but you can also purchase from:
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