The soundtrack to last year's Buffy musical ep, Once More, with Feeling, has just been released on Rounder disc. And if Joss Whedon's maiden songwriting effort (not counting a brief snippet of Giles song in an earlier dream story) won't blow Sondheim out of the water, it's still plenty enjoyable on its own modest terms: with witty character-driven lyrics and solid pop/show tunery. Bet Joss wished that his title lead could really sing, though, since she's given the most complex, episode defining number ("Something to Sing About"). Would've saved 'em from a lotta Zappaesque tape-splicing.
Of the cast, Anthony Head's Giles and Amber Benson's lamented Tara acquit themselves best: the latter's "Under Your Spell" is clearly the "break-out number," a melodic & sexy pop tune. Special Guest Villain Hinton Battle's hi-de-ho-isms deliberately recall Calloway-by-way-of-Danny-Elfman (wanna bet Whedon has a videotape of Forbidden Zone somewhere in his collection?) Cooler than the Boogeyman in Nightmare Before Christmas, not as good as the actual Cab-man.
I like that the soundtrack even includes the snippet songs - the guy who got the mustard stain cleaned from his suit, the woman trying to argue herself out of a parking ticket (if I remember right, that second li'l bit was originally buried behind expositional dialog) - and the extra "suites" (instrumental passages from two other eps, including deserved fan fave, "Hush") are nice, too. A demo tape of composer Joss and wife Kai Cole assaying "Something" reveals that the song - with its sudden rhythmic shifts and counter-intuitive chorus - is probably unsingable by any but the most rigorously trained theatrical voice. Which perhaps makes Sarah M. Gellar's attempt as brave an act as anything her heroine has done . . .
So when do we get the belled-and-whistled DVD release?
Article comments
1 - Claire Evans
Where in England can you buy once more, with feeling the album, cause i can only find Amercan sites for it. Also non of the shops in Englands sell it as yet and i desparetly want it!