Love Actually Soundtrack CD

In the liner notes that accompany the soundtrack to LOVE ACTUALLY, the movie's director Richard Curtis writes that the songs here are the "life and soul of the film." This perspective is naturally a welcome change from the often-mercenary and seemingly random perspective that plagues many original soundtrack releases. One listen quickly verifies Curtis' claim, as the disc is filled with unabashedly romantic modern pop.

Anyone who's seen comedies starring Hugh Grant knows his trademark combination of self-effacing, witty humor and slightly sophisticated regular-guy appeal. The music here (including artists such as the Beach Boys and Norah Jones) sounds exactly like what one might imagine a Grant character would be listening to on his home stereo. From the melancholy electronica-framed strains of Dido's gorgeous "Here with Me" to Joni Mitchell's world-wizened, contemporary take on her classic "Both Sides Now," the material on LOVE ACTUALLY perfectly suits the film's warmly humorous take on one of life's most joyous and confusing subjects.

Includes liner notes by Richard Curtis.Uncut (1/04, p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Justin Timberlake's 'Like I Love You' is an astounding, epoch-defining pop single..."