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Dead Man Walking: Music from and Inspired
by the Motion Picture [Legacy Edition]
(Columbia/Legacy)
First Appeared in The Music Box, July 2006, Volume 13, #7
Written by Tracy M. Rogers
Ten years after the release of Tim Robbins’ acclaimed Dead Man Walking,
Legacy has released an updated version of the film’s soundtrack. The two-disc
set appends one extra tune to the original album and adds a bonus DVD titled
Not in Our Name: Dead Man Walking — The Concert. The original soundtrack
boasts some true gems. Featuring predominantly acoustic-minded fare from such
folk and country acts as Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Steve Earle, Lyle
Lovett, and Tom Waits, the collection is haunting and poignant. Only Suzanne
Vega’s pseudo-rap, electronica composition Woman on the Tier (I’ll See You
Through) and Michelle Shocked’s blues-based pop number Quality of Mercy
feel out of place. Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, who appeared twice on the initial
recording (both times with the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), provides the
refurbished outing’s lone bonus selection: the powerful but incongruous Dead
Man.
Not in Our Name: Dead Man Walking — The Concert is a lo-fi set that is
both moving and a little disappointing. Springsteen, Cash, and Waits are nowhere
to be found, while Ani DiFranco gives a lackluster performance of a trio of less
than stellar songs. Still, there are plenty of highlights to be found. For
example, the humorous introduction for Sister Helen Prejean by Tim Robbins as
well as the commentary by both Robbins and Prejean that is tucked into the
middle of the DVD are priceless, while Steve Earle and Lyle Lovett’s acoustic
cover of Townes Van Zandt’s Lungs serves as the apex of the musical fare.
In addition, Eddie Vedder, perched atop a pillow, performs four songs at the end
of the DVD, each of which is heartfelt and apropos. All in all, Dead Man
Walking: Music from and Inspired by the Motion Picture [Legacy Edition] is a must-have for
diehard fans of the film and death penalty activists alike, but novices likely
will be served better by its original incarnation.
Dead Man Walking: Motion
Picture Soundtrack [Original Album] —  ˝
Bonus Materials —
Dead Man Walking: Motion
Picture Soundtrack [Special Edition] —
Dead Man Walking: Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture
[Special Edition] is available from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
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Dead Man Walking: Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture
[Original Edition] is available from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
Click Here!
For UK orders, please
Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2006
The Music Box
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