Decca
Instrumental, 2002

This isn’t another Hans Zimmer melodrama. This is a very beautiful soundtrack, elevated from muzak mediocrity to splendor by the fine vocals of African folk artists such as Rachid Taha and Baabaa Maal. It is also interesting to hear these amazing voices transposed over American rock-and-roll/blues music (Barra Barra – just amazing).

While the relentless rhythms of urgency-driven tracks like Hunger, Mogadishu Blues, and Tribal War are listenable, it is the haunting threnodies of Still, Leave No Man Behind, and the beautiful duet between Denez Prigent and Lisa Gerrard in Gortoz A Ran – J’Attends that is almost traumatic in their delicate rhythms. These linger on in my mind long after the music ended.

If the movie is a rather vague and amorphous tale of war, this soundtrack drives home the pain and tragedy of war more effectively than any long-drawn battle scenes ever could. Just beautiful.