If someone asked me to describe what genre the soundtrack for the film “A Star is Born” is, I’d have a difficult time.
The 34-track album has songs from a wide range of genres, such as country-rock and pop, and also features dialogue from
the film.
The opening track, “Intro,” is audio from the beginning of the film which starts with Bradley Cooper’s character, singer Jackson Maine, playing a concert.
It lasts 20 seconds and gives you the feeling of being at a rock concert, with a crowd cheering loudly in
the background.
It transitions smoothly into the first song on the
album “Black Eyes.”
The song is a guitar-heavy, classic rock influenced track, that Cooper flawlessly performs.
I was unsure of how his voice would sound, given that he is known for only being an actor, but was pleasantly surprised by the strength of his vocal range.
“Black Eyes” is certainly a highlight on the album for this reason, and a perfect start to the soundtrack.
Lady Gaga appears for the first time a few tracks later, performing a cover of the classic French song, “La Vie En Rose.”
Fans of the singer will love this rendition, which showcases her powerful vocals and serves as the introduction to her character Ally.
The beginning of the album features Cooper more than Gaga, which is expected given the plot of the film. Cooper’s character Maine is an established singer, while Gaga’s character Ally is an aspiring one.
Gaga has more songs later on when Ally starts to become famous in
the film.
The best songs on the soundtrack are the duets between Cooper and Gaga.
The first, “Shallow” is an acoustic country track with an indie singer-songwriter vibe. It’s the standout of the soundtrack because of the way the singers/artists voices complement each other.
Their voices flow extremely well together, especially leading up to the bridge of the track. I got goosebumps while listening to it for the first time.
I love that they begin the song separately, as it makes the final lyric sung by both, “We’re far from the shallow now” have much more of an emotional impact. From that point on, it’s clear that the two are united as one.
My other favorite is “Music To My Eyes,” a slow love duet with a light rock tone. It features a mellow-sounding electric guitar in the background and has romantic lyrics like, “Take me to your paradise on a musical ride / I’m in love with your music baby / You’re music to my eyes.”
The song sounds as though it is being sung by a real-life couple, and I believe it’s because of Cooper and Gaga’s undeniable chemistry.
Though you cannot physically see them, you can absolutely tell that their characters are in love with each other by listening to the track.
In between songs are short portions of dialogue from the film, which are meant to be miniature interludes.
The dialogue tracks work well because each one sets the scene for every song.
For example, one called “How Do You Hear It?” has Ally describing a specific piano beat for a song she’s writing. It’s immediately followed by the actual song, “Look What I Found,” which has that exact beat.
These tracks make it seem like listening to the album is part of an experience, which is its most unique aspect.
That being said, the soundtrack for “A Star is Born” is a wonderful accompaniment to the spectacular film.
5 out of 5 stars
