Moulin Rouge [Original Soundtrack]

Editorial Reviews

For the soundtrack to his film Moulin Rouge, a tale of star-crossed lovers who meet at the famed turn-of-the-century Paris nightclub, Romeo and Juliet director Baz Luhrmann has erased musical boundaries. David Bowie opens and closes the disc with two drastically different versions of the standard "Nature Boy" -- the opening track is accented by a dramatic orchestral arrangement, while the closing version is a trip-hop collaboration with Massive Attack. In between these sonic bookends, stylistic hybrids run delightfully wild as each selection helps tell the film's forbidden affair between main characters Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor. Beck, with the help of Timbaland's beat wizardry, delivers a spacey, minimalist take on Bowie's "Diamond Dogs," and a superstar summit between junior divas Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink, and Lil' Kim results in a paint-peeling cover of Labelle's "Lady Marmalade." Kidman and McGregor also flaunt their surprisingly effective vocal chops on several tracks and combine their talents on the comical "Elephant Love Melody," a call-and-response medley of love songs from such varied artists as the Beatles ("All You Need Is Love"), Whitney Houston ("I Will Always Love You"), U2 ("In the Name of Love"), and Thelma Houston ("Don't Leave Me This Way"). Elsewhere, the endearing McGregor and Jose Feliciano transform the Police classic "Roxanne" into "El Tango de Roxanne," and a vampy Kidman delivers the showstopper "Sparkling Diamonds," complete with Vegas-flavored brass arrangements, street-credible beats, and lyrics borrowed from Marilyn Monroe's "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" and Madonna's "Material Girl." With Moulin Rouge, Baz Luhrmann -- who had a pop hit back in '99 with the spoken-word curio "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" -- shows that besides being a visionary filmmaker, he's got a flair for things musical as well. Dave Gil de Rubio Barnes & Noble

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