Throughout his prolific career as a film-score composer, the late Henry Mancini won four Oscars and 20 Grammys. The scores he wrote for the movies Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Pink Panther and Charade have become part of the 20th century pop-culture canon. Songs including "Moon River" (from Tiffany's ), "Baby Elephant Walk" (from Hatari ), "Charade," and of course, the brilliant "Theme from The Pink Panther" have all found their rightful place in the American songbook. Mancini even collaborated with gay poet/songwriter Rod McKuen on the soundtrack to Me, Natalie, starring Patty Duke. The nine-CD box set Henry Mancini: The Classic Soundtrack Collection (RCA/Legacy/Sony Music) features 18 soundtracks, including Two for the Road , Darling Lili, Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe? and the Peter Sellers comedy The Party.
One of the most acclaimed movies of 2014, Richard Linklater's groundbreaking Boyhood set a new standard for filmmaking production, filmed as it was over the course of several years. Like the movie itself, Music from the Motion Picture Boyhood (Nonesuch) spans a number of years during the first 14 of the 21st century, from new compositions such as "Summer Noon" by Tweedy, to songs by the Black Keys, Coldplay, Arcade Fire, Vampire Weekend, Wilco and the Flaming Lips.
Even though they weren't included on the Boyhood soundtrack, the songs "Nao Acorde o Nenem," "Em Todo Lugar" and "Coisa Boa," written and performed by Brazilian musician Moreno Veloso, could also be heard in the movie. All three of those songs, along with eight others, can be found on Coisa Boa (Luaka Bop), Veloso's first new studio album in 10 years.
The writing/directing film debut of Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch, God Help the Girl could best be described as a musical about making music. With that in mind, it would make sense one of the best things about God Help the Girl: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Milan) would be the music. The disc combines songs by Belle & Sebastian, the all-female B&S offshoot God Help the Girl, and new Murdoch tunes performed by the film's actors. If you're a fan of B&S, this soundtrack, which also includes dialogue from the movie, should be music to your ears.
British classical violinist Daniel Hope turns his attention to the "Hollywood Sound" on Escape to Paradise: The Hollywood Album (Deutsche Grammophon). It's mostly comprised of film score and theatrical compositions, by composers fortunate enough to escape from Hitler's Europe to exile in California. The album is a stunning celebration of survival and creativity. Featured here are a number of pieces by Miklos Rozsa from films such as Spellbound , Ben-Hur and El Cid, as well as work by Franz Waxman (from Come Back, Little Sheba), Kurt Weill (from One Touch of Venus), Herman Hupfeld (from Casablanca) and others. As an added bonus, Sting and Max Raabe provide vocals on a couple of songs.
Hosted by Allison Janney on public television, Shelter Me is described as an "inspiring" program celebrating "shelter pets with positive and uplifting stories." Created by filmmaker Steven Latham, Shelter Me is sponsored by Halo, Purely for Pets, the pet-food company founded by Ellen DeGeneres. Songs for Shelter Me (TVX/shelterme.tv) features the wondrous title track written and performed by Mindy Smith, as well as tunes by AI winner Kris Allen, the four-sisters band SHEL, Korby Lenker, Kate York and others.