Cinemage

The stated intention of this album is to introduce Sakamoto to a new audience. To this end, a selection of his most memorably melodic themes are presented pretty much in order of fame. Beginning on the eminently hummable "Forbidden Colours" from Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence is therefore the perfect way to go. This is the only cue with vocals; the remainder spotlight an affinity for emotional manipulation through the sonority of elegiac string work. "The Last Emperor" is perfectly partnered by "Little Buddha", utilising his Japanese sensibilities to perfect cinematic effect. If the Ralph Fiennes version of "Wuthering Heights" lingers in the memory far less than Olivier's it is certainly not through fault of the composer. Somehow Sakamoto has tapped into time, geography, and heart all at once, resulting in this sumptuous motif. Then so as not to pigeonhole his style to a new-found audience, the album finishes with the cyclic rhythms of "Replica" (from his Musical Encyclopedia solo album), and the bombastic--often atonal--" El Mar Mediterrani" which opened the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. If anyone is genuinely experiencing his music for the first time this really is an ideal introduction. --Paul Tonks