Despite an attempt to reflect the edginess promised to fans in “Fifty Shades of Grey,” the movie’s media campaign fell short of producing an enticing soundtrack.
The movie’s first trailer owes some of its popularity to the backing track — a slowed down snippet of Beyoncé’s smash hit, “Crazy in Love.” Following the trailer, alternative R&B singer The Weeknd and synth-pop powerhouse Ellie Goulding were announced as artists on the record, establishing undeniable star-power as the album’s foundation.
However, what could have been the definitive guilty pleasure tracklist of the year lacks the steaminess that the novel, and hopefully the movie, thrive on.
Even Beyoncé can’t save the album from occasionally slipping into an unimpressive, drowsy dullness — although there are a few moments when the tracks perfectly compliment the movie’s themes.
The soundtrack starts strong, with Annie Lennox of Eurhythmics delivering a crashing, blue-eyed take of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ classic, “I Put a Spell on You.”
Unfortunately, too-slow ballads follow, and the energy takes a nosedive. The Weeknd’s single “Earned It” and Jessie Ware’s lovely “Meet Me in the Middle” blend into a languid nine-minute lull.
Ellie Goulding’s fantastic, drum-heavy, anthemic “Love Me Like You Do” picks up the pace somewhat, but the track seems far more suitable for the dance floor than the bedroom.
A couple of classic artists are featured, such as Frank Sinatra and the Rolling Stones. Their presence suggests old-school romanticism but seem a little out of place with the more modern sound of previous tracks.
Closing the album are two uninteresting instrumental pieces by Danny Elfman, a composer known more for his work on Tim Burton films than for erotic-novels-turned-romantic-dramas.
However, a few standouts on the album truly capture the dynamic of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey’s relationship. Beyoncé’s iconic lyrics telling of an obsessive, “crazy” love seem even more demented with the song’s discordant notes and monstrous bass — it is the perfect motif accompanying what happens in Grey’s Red Room of Pain.
Sia’s “Salted Wound” features sparse production and a delicate string melody under a raw and wavering voice. With lyrics like “Turn her on with how you feel / Give her everything she needs to hear / Give your heart… / And she will see you are a good man,” Sia seems to address Christian Grey’s hidden soft side.
Finally, Vaults — a London-based pop band — provides the slightly disappointing album with a violin-heavy track that mixes haunting, poetic lyrics with emotional vocals.
Overall, the soundtrack suggests a lot of passion but delivers little of it. The songs do well to represent the movie and its characters thematically, but those looking for the hot-and-heaviness of the book won’t find it here.
Rating: 3 stars
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