Trying to match the film’s blockbuster appeal the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack is filled with big names. You get Ellie Goulding, Sia, The Rolling Stones, Annie Lennox, Frank Sinatra and Beyonce. As opposed to the film that seems to be universally panned the soundtrack is worth your time and money. Taken as a whole body of work most of the music is rather dark and moody trying to show an edge that the film failed to achieve. It begins on a high and powerful note with Annie Lennox’s cover of “I Put a Spell on You”. Besides her great voice and note perfect rendition of the song you get a wonderful blues guitar solo to revel in. Blues seems to have been a direction several artists went for with The Rolling Stones’ classic “Beast of Burden” being the centerpiece. Jessie Ware (“Meet Me in the Middle”) and Ellie Goulding (“Love Me Like You Do”) bring some younger Brit stuff with Goulding’s song already being on the top of the UK charts. The Ware track is bluesy with Goulding’s being a catchy midtempo affair. Awolnation adds some folk into the mix with his acoustic version of Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire”. The two strongest tracks come courtesy of The Weeknd and Beyoncé. The Weeknd has two entries on the soundtrack with the throwback sounding “Earned It” already have reached the Top 20 on the UK charts and the sparse sounding “Where You Belong” being one of the strongest things he has done. What else can be said about Beyoncé? She is not called Queen Bey for nothing. Rarely does she strike a false note and the remix of her huge hit “Crazy in Love” is sexy and fantastic.
Various Artists – Fifty Shades of Grey Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
