By Sara Pintilie/entertainment editor
Various Artists Once Soundtrack (4.5 stars)
The Once: Music from the Motion Picture is as simple and powerful as its movie counterpart. Though the movie is classified as a musical, the album is filled with serene duets instead of show-stopping musical numbers.
Glen Hansard and unknown Marketa Irglova complement and push each other to their full acoustic potential.
“The Hill” is absolutely heartbreaking with Irglova’s unusual croon and a simple instrumental backdrop. But Hansard’s biting “Say it to Me” and the pair’s main duet, “Falling Slowly,” exhibit the raw splendor found both in the movie and in the soundtrack. Once: Music from the Motion Picture stands alone; it can be enjoyed without seeing Once.