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From the first seconds of the film Inside Man, a compelling mood is set via the powerful music that accompanies the opening scene. The song, "Chaiyya Chaiyya Bollywood Joint" is an adapted, hip-hop-inflected tune (featuring Punjabi MC) from India's most famous soundtrack creator, A.R. Rahman. Those hoping for a full-on South Asian exploration should note that this is the only Bollywood number on the disc; the rest of the film is scored by Spike Lee regular Terence Blanchard (Malcolm X, 25th Hour, Bamboozled.) Blanchard--a former member of both Lionel Hampton's band and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers--has created moments of quiet beauty in the soundtrack; "Press Here To Play" is a pensive piano and trumpet journey that ends (too soon) at 90 seconds, while "Nazis Pay Too Well" is another highlight, a masterfully-mournful orchestral piece well worth further expansion. Those pieces aside, the lion's share of the soundtrack is a variation on one of two separate musical themes, both of which set an appropriate tone throughout the film. On their own, however, they are almost too soundtrack-y to play even as background music over dinner. For personal use, Blanchard's non-film, jazz recordings may be the way to go. --Denise Sheppard
