By Julissa Treviño/reporter
Remaking Beatles songs is not only ambitious, but also presumably challenging.
The soundtrack to the film Across the Universe creatively exceeds expectations, even with a few misses.
The standard version of the soundtrack contains 16 remakes, while the deluxe version has 29 on two discs.
The songs are unsurprisingly recognizable for a Beatles fan; even so, the soundtrack does an amazing job recreating the songs without being trite.
Each song is developed into a unique piece of work that brings out various emotions hidden in the originals.
“I Want To Hold Your Hand” is a quite joyful love song by The Beatles, but turns into a sad, desperate cry for affection from a lonely girl.
“Let It Be” also takes on new meaning in a much more passionate and soulful way when it is performed by two characters, accompanied by a choir of gospel singers. The words become much more emotional and heartfelt.
The songs are mostly performed by the actors themselves. Considering that the actors are not singers by nature, the cast is great, both vocally and artistically.
The songs performed by Jim Sturgess are the most worthy. His voice has an aura of vulnerability, compassion and true emotion. His performance of the songs is also the most convincing of the actors.
The Secret Machines, originally from Dallas, perform three of the songs, one of which includes vocals by U2’s Bono. “I Am the Walrus” makes a trip down experimental, psychedelic and fun beats.
Dana Fuschs’ voice, inarguably comparable to that of Janis Joplin’s, is too heavy, loud and overwhelming in songs such as “Oh! Darling” and “Helter Skelter.” Although her voice complements the songs, it overshadows the lyrics themselves.
Evan Rachel Wood, singing “Blackbird” and “It Won’t Be Long,” is not impressive. Her performance is undoubtedly good; however, she is simply not interesting as a vocalist. She tries too hard to sound plausible only furthering the disappointment.
Nonetheless, the complete album is creative and enjoyable. The songs are performed to be catchy enough to sing along to, yet creative enough to be worthy of Beatles recognition.
Noteworthy Tracks: “I Am The Walrus,” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” “Across the Universe.”
