Soul (soundtrack) (original) (raw)

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2020 soundtrack album by various artists

Soul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by various artists
Released December 18, 2020
Genre Jazz (Music from and Inspired by Soul)new-agespace (Soul: Original Motion Picture Score)
Length 60:04
Label Walt Disney
Producer Cody ChesnuttDaveed DiggsJonathan SnipesJon BatisteTom MacDougallWilliam Hutson
Pixar soundtrack chronology
Onward(2020) Soul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack(2020) Luca(2021)
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross chronology
Mank(2020) Soul(2020) Bones and All(2022)
Jon Batiste chronology
Music from and Inspired by Soul(2020)

Soul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack to the 2020 Disney-Pixar film Soul. The soundtrack is a compilation of all 23 score pieces by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross from the Soul: Original Motion Picture Score vinyl album as well as 16 original songs by Jon Batiste from the Music from and Inspired by Soul vinyl album. All three albums were released through Walt Disney Records on December 18, 2020.

Reznor and Ross composed a new-age score for the metaphysical segments of the film, while Batiste composed a number of original jazz songs for the New York City-based segments of the film. The soundtrack received critical acclaim as an integral part of the film and won both the Golden Globe and the Oscar for Best Original Score.

Writing and recording

[edit]

During the 2019 D23 Expo, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross were revealed to be composing the film's score, while Jon Batiste was set to be writing jazz songs for the film.[1] Reznor and Ross had been brought in on the recommendation of sound designer Ren Klyce, who had worked extensively with the duo in David Fincher films.[2] Batiste composed jazz music for the film's New York City sequences while Reznor and Ross wrote an instrumental score for the scenes taking place in the Great Before.[3] Batiste said that he wanted to create jazz music that felt "authentic", but also "accessible to all ages".[1] He also wanted the themes to tie into the "ethereal nature" of the Great Before while still being on Earth.[1] Batiste also sometimes worked with Reznor and Ross to "blend the two worlds, musically".[1] Cody Chesnutt also wrote, produced, and performed an original folk-soul ballad for the film, titled "Parting Ways".[4][5] It also features a hip hop interlude performed by Daveed Diggs titled "Rappin Ced".[4] Other musicians who were consulted during the creative process include Herbie Hancock, Terri Lyne Carrington and Questlove, the latter of whom also does voice work in the film.[6] Batiste drew inspiration from and wanted to pay homage to jazz legends such as Roy Haynes, Harvey Mason, Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland, Charlie Parker and The Headhunters.[2] Batiste also arranged a new version of the song "It's All Right", originally performed by The Impressions, for the film.[7] This solo version debuted during a performance by Nelly on the 29th season of American competition TV series Dancing with the Stars[7] and is featured in the end credits of the film while a duet version with British soul singer Celeste is not included in the soundtrack.[8] In January 2021, Trent Reznor revealed to Consequence of Sound that he and Atticus Ross had composed six films' worth of music for Soul and also further explained his creative process, stating:[9]

As we started early on, it's like, "I can't wait to see this character"… that doesn't exist because he’s not even in the film anymore. Or this expansive moment where you're watching a beautiful scene for a minute and a half, which is now three seconds, because a joke popped up, and now it's a different thing. So, I think we started a lot earlier last time than we would in the future. But it was fascinating to see the process. And I remember as we were getting into it, they could say, "Let’s see. Trust the process. We’ve come up with a way to do this." And I don’t mean a factory assembly line, but a strategy of openness and collaboration between not just two or three or four or five people but possibly lots of people.

Soul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released digitally on December 18, 2020, a week before that of the film. The two vinyl albums, namely Soul: Original Motion Picture Score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross and Music from and Inspired by Soul by Jon Batiste, were also made available for purchase on December 18, 2020.[10][11][12][13][14] Despite not featuring on any of the three albums, the duet version of "It's All Right" with Celeste that features during the end credits was also released digitally as a standalone single on December 18.[15][16]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source Rating
Exclaim! 7/10[4]
Filmtracks

The soundtrack received a positive response from both music critics and film critics alike.[6][17][18][19] Many film reviews praised the score as a major highlight of the film.[20] Leslie Felperin of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "Featuring possibly the best soundtrack in a Pixar film since the first Toy Story, Soul sports a jazz score that is not just an adornment to the story or an emotional enhancement, but an utterly integral part of the narrative."[19] Reznor and Ross's compositions during the metaphysical segments of the film was described musically as new-age and space age, while Batiste's work was described musically as jazz.[21][4][22] In a film review for The A.V. Club, A.A. Dowd described the score as "uncharacteristically soothing",[23] while Matt Goldberg of Collider described it as "spellbinding",[24] and A .O. Scott of The New York Times described it as "cerebral".[25]

Commercial performance

[edit]

A week before the release of the film, the soundtrack album debuted on the UK Soundtrack Albums chart at number 35.[50] After the film was released on December 25, the soundtrack rose to number 12 on this chart and also was credited as two separated entries, one for score and one for soundtrack, on both Billboard's Soundtrack Albums chart and Current Album Sales chart.

All songs are written and performed by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, except where noted.

Soul: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack track listing[51]

No. Title Writer(s) Performer(s) Length
1. "Born to Play" Jon Batiste Jon Batiste 2:00
2. "Born to Play Reprise" Batiste Batiste 0:50
3. "Bigger Than Us" Batiste Batiste 1:51
4. "Collard Greens and Cornbread Strut" Batiste Batiste 0:36
5. "The Great Beyond" 2:45
6. "Falling" 0:41
7. "The Great Before / U Seminar" 3:19
8. "Jump to Earth" 0:52
9. "Rappin Ced" Daveed Diggs Diggs 0:37
10. "Joe's Lowdown Blues" Batiste Batiste 0:36
11. "Terry Time" 1:14
12. "Joe's Life" 0:40
13. "Portal / The Hall of Everything" 2:18
14. "Run / Astral Plane" 1:44
15. "Lost Soul" 0:29
16. "Meditation / Return to Earth" 1:40
17. "22's Getaway" Batiste Batiste 0:58
18. "Apex Wedge" Batiste Batiste 0:49
19. "Let Your Soul Glow" Batiste Batiste 0:20
20. "Terry Time Too" 3:00
21. "Feel Soul Good" Batiste Batiste 0:27
22. "Parting Ways" Cody Chesnutt Chesnutt 2:20
23. "Looking at Life" Batiste Batiste 1:31
24. "Fruit of the Vine" Batiste Batiste 0:43
25. "22 Is Ready" 1:25
26. "Pursuit / Terry's World" 1:42
27. "Betrayal" 2:28
28. "Space Maker" Walter Norris Batiste 1:17
29. "Cristo Redentor" Duke Pearson Batiste 2:21
30. "The Epic Conversationalist / Born to Play" Batiste Batiste 1:26
31. "Celestial Spaces in Blue" Batiste Batiste 0:52
32. "Spiritual Connection" Batiste Batiste 1:13
33. "Lost" 1:09
34. "Epiphany" 3:48
35. "Ship Chase" 1:40
36. "Escape / Inside 22" 2:32
37. "Flashback" 1:33
38. "Earthbound" 1:27
39. "Thank You" 0:42
40. "Enjoy Every Minute" 0:48
41. "It's All Right" Curtis Mayfield Batiste 2:50
42. "Just Us" 2:42
Total length: 64:15

Japanese edition bonus tracks[52]

No. Title Writer(s) Performer(s) Length
43. "Kiseki Wo Nozomunara..." (Soul version) E-3DJ HIROnycTabatha M Juju 3:33
44. "Rappin Ced" Diggs Subaru Kimura 0:38
45. "Parting Ways" Chesnutt Eito 2:23
Total length: 70:49

Soul: Original Motion Picture Score track listing[53]

No. Title Length
1. "The Great Beyond" 2:45
2. "Falling" 0:41
3. "The Great Before / U Seminar" 3:19
4. "Jump to Earth" 0:52
5. "Terry Time" 1:14
6. "Joe's Life" 0:40
7. "Portal / The Hall of Everything" 2:18
8. "Run / Astral Plane" 1:44
9. "Lost Soul" 0:29
10. "Meditation / Return to Earth" 1:40
11. "Terry Time Too" 3:00
12. "22 Is Ready" 1:25
13. "Pursuit / Terry's World" 1:42
14. "Betrayal" 2:28
15. "Lost" 1:09
16. "Epiphany" 3:48
17. "Ship Chase" 1:40
18. "Escape / Inside 22" 2:32
19. "Flashback" 1:33
20. "Earthbound" 1:27
21. "Thank You" 0:42
22. "Enjoy Every Minute" 0:48
23. "Just Us" 2:42

  1. ^ Credited to their scoring work on both Soul and Mank (2020).

  2. ^ Tied with Carlos Rafael Rivera for The Queen's Gambit.

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