The Million Dollar Hotel: Music from the Motion Picture Rating: 6
Various Artists (Interscope)
Bono and his U2 mates continue their
pattern of following major, focused releases with low key, blurry ones. Like Passengers after
Achtung Baby and Zooropa, The Million Dollar Hotel follows in the wake of
Pop, a big-hearted and under appreciated album. As before, the results are uneven, but
interesting.
Like with Passengers, Bono calls on the Edge, Adam and Larry to join usual suspects Brian
Eno and Daniel Lanois. Jazz trumpeter Jon Hassell and guitarist Bill Frisell join the mix, too.
Predictably, the fully realized (and best) track is held up by the U2 backbone.
"The Ground Beneath Her Feet," with lyrics by Salmon Rushdie, is the kind of slithering,
understated track that I would have first identified as a second-thought B-side. After multiple
listens, however, the melody takes a much firmer hold, reminding me of "Gone" from Pop
or perhaps "Velvet Dress." "Stateless," the only other totally new U2 song,
is less developed, and feels very much like a worthwhile experiment, only.
Elsewhere, Bono's collaborations with Lanois and his other pals work well. His quiet
"Never Let Me Go" is a haunting, sparse meditation. Similarly, "Falling At
Your Feet" hushes you, and invokes the spirits of a lost Velvet Underground single with
its "all fall down" mantra.
I guess that I should expect, then, that The Million Dollar Hotel includes a cover
of "Satellite of Love? -- but three versions? Unnecessary, and the vocals coughed
up by Milla Jovovich (who stars with Mel Gibson in the movie, yet to be released in the
United States) are particularly grating. Oddly, a revved-up version of "Anarchy in
the USA" sung in Spanish by Tito Larriva closes the album. It's wildly out of place, and
I can only assume that its inclusion relates directly to events in the film.
With The Million Dollar Hotel, I give Bono points for trying, but that's no promise of
success.
-- Burton Glass
your
shot
Think you can do better? Email us your pithy comments on the
cd's and shows we
review, and the lists and essays we write.
We'll publish excerpts in future editions...