Robots Soundtrack CD

Music By:John Powell Feat.Blue Man Group

Composer: John Powell .
Personnel: John Powell (guitar, programming); George Doering (guitar, bagpipe); Frank Marocco, JoAnn Turovsky, Marcia Dickstein (harp); Rebecca Bunnell, Katia Popov, Robin Olson, Alan Grunfeld, Ken Yerke, Ronald Folsom, Jeanne Skrocki Evans, Songa Lee Kitto, Julia Ann Gigante, Lily Chen, Horia Moroaica, Sungil Lee, Robert Brosseau, Norman Hughes, Galina Golovin, Eric J. Hosler, Jay Rosen, Mark Robertson , Sid Page, Richard Altenbach, Bruce Dukov, Raymond Kobler, Phillipe Levy, Sara Parkins, Sarah Thornblade, Armen Anassian, Marina Manukian, Liane Mautner, Josephina Vergara, Dimitrie Leivici, Charlie Bisharat, Mario Diaz de Leon (violin); Matt Funes, Andrew Picken, Cassandra Richburg, Michael Nowak, Robert Becker, Brian Dembow, Jennie Hansen, Janet Lakatos, Simon Oswell, Piotr Jandula, Darrin McCann, Shanti Randall (viola); Dan Higgins, Larry Kaplan, Jim Walker , Steve Kujala, Geri Rotella, David Shostac (flute); Eric Rigler, Paul Pesco (bagpipe); Steve L. Roberts, Gary Foster, Ralph Williams , Gary Bovyer, Marty Krystall (clarinet); Tom Boyd, Dave Weiss, Chris Bleth, Barbara Northcutt, Phil Ayling (oboe); Michael O'Donovan, Allen Savedoff, Judith Farmer (bassoon); George Shelby, Greg Huckins, Peter Roter, John Yoakum, Bill Liston, Albert Wing (saxophone); Dan Fornero, Harry Kim, Jon Lewis , Rick Baptist, Roger Ingram (trumpet); Dan Weinstein, Steven M. Holtman, Tom Ralls, Alan Kaplan, Andy Martin, Phil Teele, Alexander Iles, Bill Reichenbach Jr. , Charles Loper, Ken Kugler (trombone); Doug Tornquist, Jim Self (tuba); John A. Reynolds, Kristy Morrell, Phil Yao, Jim Thathcer, Todd Miller, Yvonne S. Moriarty, Mark Adams , Kurt Snyder, Rick Todd, Brad Warnaar, Brian O'Connor (horns); Matt Rohde, Randy Kerber, Brian Pezzone (keyboards); Alan Estes, Dan Greco, Curt Bisquera, Greg Limonick, Gregory Goodall, Crag Rodriguez, Brian Scott, Chris Bowen, Todd Waetzig, Richard Garcia , Josh Matthews, Chris Wink, Matt Goldman, Michael Fisher, Phil Stanton, Todd Perlmutter, Peter Simpson, Peter Limonick, Blue Man Group, Brian Kilgore, Donald Williams, Richie Gajate Garcia (percussion); John Ashton Thomas, TJ Lindgren (programming).
Audio Mixers: Erik Zobler; Shawn Murphy; Daniel Lerner; Bobby Fernandez ; Brad Haehnel.
Recording information: 5 Cat Studios; Blue Man Group Studio, NY; Henson Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; Newman Scoring Stage, Twentieth Century Fox.
Director: Sandy DeCrescent.
Editor: Daniel Lerner.
Arrangers: John Ashton Thomas; TJ Lindgren; John Powell .
Among all the rap and rock songs on the soundtrack to Robots was "Robot City," a wonderfully playful, evocative collaboration between score composer John Powell and the Blue Man Group. Unfortunately, the complete Robots score doesn't completely fulfill that track's potential; though the album has some "featured percussion" by the Blue Man Group, Powell's compositions are performed mostly (and quite well) by the Hollywood Studio Symphony. On the bright side, several of the score's tracks, such as "Robots Overture" and "Gathering Forces," hark back to classic animation music like Carl Stalling's work on Warner Brothers' Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes cartoon series. Not surprisingly, though, the pieces with the Blue Man Group have an extra little something that make them standouts. "Wonderbot Wash," "Wild Ride," and "Crosstown Express" are all elegantly mischievous and really capture the clanking, gleaming beauty of Robots' visuals, as well as the film's broad (and not so broad) sense of humor. Some of the score's more sentimental moments like "Homecoming" and "Dad's Dream" are a little predictable and border on saccharine, but they're still competently done. Even though a fuller collaboration between Powell and the Blue Man Group would have made Robots a spectacular score, it's still more creative than many other scores for animated movies. ~ Heather Phares