About Stefan Halley
Location: Malmo, Sweden
Occupation: Editor-in-Chief
Bio: Stefan has been writing reviews for seven years and started Pop Syndicate out of need to voice his mis-guided opinion.
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Filled with the average run of the mill soft rock tunes that populate most of the adult contemporary charts, the Trust The Man Soundtrack will be as quickly forgotten as the film it’s inspired by. Trust The Man was written and directed by Bart Freundlich. Freundlich also had a huge influence on the track selection.
If you missed Trust The Man in theatres, don’t worry it will be on DVD soon. The film looks at the relationships of modern New Yorkers. Focusing on two couples, Trust The Man stars Julianne Moore as a successful actress married to her stay at home husband played by David Duchovny. Her slacker younger brother (Billy Crudup) and his longtime girlfriend (Maggie Gyllenhaal) are going through a rough spot. The film follows the two couples as they deal with careers, fighting, cheating, trail separations and eventually renewal.
Your enjoyment of the soundtrack will largely depend on how much you enjoy the music of Libby Johnson. Freudlich centers the soundtrack around Libby Johnson, which probably wasn’t the best move as her songs are some of the most forgettable on the CD. Also included are tracks from Preacherman, Ben Harper, Chocolate genius, Dave’s True Story, Uncle Carl and others.
The opening track “It Is What It Is” by Preacherman is a bluesy-rock tune that has the feel of the Spin Doctors from the early-90’s. The title of the track best sums up the album. It is what it is and that’s not much. “Indelible Mark” is Libby Johnson’s first offer on the soundtrack. Its jingly pop sound is pleasant but lacks anything that would make it memorable. The same can be said for the rest of her songs on the soundtrack.
“Everything” by Ben Harper is a bit of a standout here. The simple love song has Ben playing a smooth ditty on his organ. It has a delta blues sound that works well. Likewise, Leona Naess’ “Shiny on the Inside” is a trippy ethereal number that bobs along and has your toe tapping. Rachel Yamagata’s piano on “Be Be Your Love” is moving as her slightly whiney voice echo the feelings of someone longing to just be loved. It’s a moving number and the last of the highlights on the CD.
Ending the soundtrack is a horrible Christmas song. “Have a Hap, Hap, Happy Christmas” by Uncle Carl is one of the reasons why suicide rates increase during the holidays and the reason people hate Christmas songs. Curse you Uncle Carl for ruining Christmas for me.
This is the perfect album for soccer mom’s spending their afternoon’s at home sipping hot tea trying to relax before their little hellion’s return from school. One song blends into another with nothing to grab your attention and give you a reason to really listen more than once.
Genre: Soft Pop
Sounds like: Soccer mom background noise
Best Songs: “Everything”, “Shiny on the Inside” and “Be Be Your Love”
