The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
Tuesday, October 9, 2007 - 9
UNIVERSE
From page 5
psychedelia, is overwrought of all
things, and "Walrus" is, frankly,
dull. The Beatles's music is the
sound of youth, and aging-pop-
star Bono delivers his covers very
much like an aging pop star. This
isn't U2, and it shouldn't be.
But the same doesn't go for Joe
Cocker, a man who's been cover-
ing the-Beatles since before Wood-
stock. His gruff "Come Together"
is a rousing highlight, of the
record.
But these cameo performances,
even Cocker's, are merely super-
ficial attractions. The soul of this
record and the film it accompa-
nies is the young cast members;
they bring a sense of character to
these songs that reminds you that
Across the Universe is stilla musi-
cal. Indeed, it's unfortunate that
these arrangements have never
been performed on a Broadway
stage. "Let it Be" is a gospel song,
featuring a full choir and soul-
ful, improvised lead vocals - and
it works. T.). Carpio's "I Want to
Hold Your Hand"-is heartrend-
ing in its longing. Dana Fuchs and
Martin Luther McCoy belt out
their duet of "Oh! Darling" just
like Paul did on Abbey Road, and
they play off each other with blue-
sy furor. Joe Anderson is relegated
to only two tracks, butthey're both
brilliant. His rendition of "Happi-
ness is a Warm Gun" is particu-
larly impressive, communicating
junkie desperation over a bare
acoustic arrangement.
And of course, we have the
film's stars, Jim Sturgess and Evan
Rachel Wood. Sturgess is out-
standing, and his "Across the Uni-
verse" is a showstopper - perfect
for a, song that John considered
among his best. Wood's "Black-
bird," sung over an arrangement
sparse enough to be nearlya capel-
la, carries with it atouchingly des-
perate hopefulness.
Most impressive is the produc-
ers' restraint. "Strawberry Fields
Forever" 'features a new, highly
percussive arrangement full of
16w drones worthy ofa 1980s indie
band, butthankfullythathaunting
harmonium intro remains. It just
wouldn't be the same without it.
Across the Universe: Music
from the Motion Picture is a good
as anyone can reasonably expect
it to be. The cast performs admi-
rably, and with the exception of
Bono's unimpressive performanc-
es, a Beatles fan could do much
worse.
The movie "Across the Universe" is built around the soundtrack.