After seeing the film Desparado, a friend of mine remarked that it was the type of film Quentin Tarantino would make if he was Hispanic. The film does have witty dialogue, lots of guns - hell, it even has Steve Buscemi - so it's not hard to believe that the soundtrack to Desparado is very Tarantino-esque?
Not that this is a bad thing. The soundtracks to Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs are both quite good, mainly on the stengths of the films they supported. Desperado has the dialouge bits and whatnot that form a connection with the Tarantino soundtracks, but the thing that most connects the soundtracks to each other is the familiarity with the film that the soundtrack brings with it. What do I mean by that? When you hear a film soundtrack that works, you are able to easily recall certain moments in the film by hearing music from those moments on the soundtrack.
In the past few years (and even going back to the John Hughes' films of the eighties), movie makers have been so preoccupied with loading up a soundtrack album with whatever stars are hot at the time in an effort to sell the film through the album. Occasionally it works (_The Crow soundtrack went through the roof, and helped sell the film even more than the curiosity factor behind Brandon Lee's death), but more often than not, what you get is a half-assed concoction of artists who are promoting a movie that just isn't any damn good, no matter who's on the soundtrack.
But Robert Rodriguez and Tarantino both understand the concept of creating a mood with music in a film - and both have the ability to create that mood using something other than an orchestral score. Both Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs were heavy on the seventies, and in Desparado, the music changes to fit the Mexican locale of the film.
From "Cancion Del Mariachi," which opens the film, to "Let Love Reign" which closes it, the various songs set the tone for the various segments of the film with such style that it's impossible to keep memories of the film out of your head when you hear it. And if you haven't seen the film, then maybe you should pick up the soundtrack on your way to the movies.
Unlike Tarantino, however, there is an actual score to the film, composed by Los Lobos - who also perform "Cancion Del Mariachi" (with vocals by Antonio Banderas) and "Let Love Reign." Their score shows up between tracks by Carlos Santana (whose "Bella" is one of the best tracks on the album), Dire Straits, Latin Playboys, Tito & Tarantula and Link Wrey & His Ray Men.
And while many may recognize (or at least, have heard of) Los Lobos, Carlos Santana and Dire Straits, other artists like Tito & Tarantula and Link Wrey & His Ray Men may not be as familiar. Hopefully, this album will provide a springboard for them to the mainstream much in the same way the soundtracks for Singles and The Crow did for the artists and genres they contained.
I've spent a considerable amount of time talking about other films and filmmakers instead of simply concentrating on the Desperado soundtrack. So be it. What makes this soundtrack such a good album is not just the music, but its originality. In an age where soundtracks are almost as important as the movies they support (_Dangerous Minds for example, has hit hard times at the box office, while the soundtrack is currently in the top five), Desparado stands out because not only is the genre of music different from the usual soundtrack material, but - here's the clincher - the songs are actually audiable in the film.
Batman Forever, The Crow and others have featured decent to pretty damn good soundtracks containing songs that you really had to strain to hear in the actual film. In Desparado, the music takes on a character all its own, making it as important as the actors and scenery. And like most of the characters in the movie, it's packing a hefty arsenal of guns ready to blow you away.
