Various Artists: "Bounce" Soundtrack

"Bounce" is the perfect soundtrack to cause longing for a summer day. Light and breezy as the pastel-filled sunny California environment of the movie, "Bounce" transports listeners into the more carefree world of spring and summer even as snow and ice cover the outside world.\n The soundtrack also works as the milder twin sister of last year's soundtrack to the movie "The Next Best Thing." The albums share a few artists in common (Beth Orton, Morcheeba) and the same multifaceted synthesized environments. But while "The Next Best Thing" relied heavily on thumping dance beats and ruined continuity by including the star power of Madonna and Christina Aguilera on a few unrelated, throwaway tracks, "Bounce" is quieter and more meaningful, letting a handful of unknown artists share top billing with bigger commercial acts such as Carly Simon and Sarah McLachlan.\n Although many people will see "Bounce" as an excuse to own the song "Here with me" (theme from the TV series "Roswell") by Dido, the rest of the album deserves similar playing time.\n Many of the soundtrack's highlights are songs spotlighted heavily in the movie. "Here with me," which Dido instills with a sense of passion and longing, is a great example, as is "Central Reservation (the 'then again' version) by Orton. That particular song is used in the movie at a point\nwhere Gwyneth Paltrow's character is in the process of a dramatic life change, and the song fits the situation perfectly, making it a great confidence builder for anyone facing a big challenge. \n The quality dips a little on two consecutive songs by Sophie B. Hawkins and Nick Garrisi respectively. The songs aren't terrible, but they lack the less overt aesthetics of the rest of the album. All the other songs leave the desired emotional effect up to the listener; these two do a little more persuading and end up shoving the meaning down a listener's throat.\n Overall, it's a fun album and the perfect sampler of some quality artists, the majority of whom are basically unknown to the mainstream public. The album should cause listeners to go out and buy a complete album by Orton or any of the others. The "Bounce" soundtrack is the perfect album for anyone longing for the movie itself, its stars and, especially, the carefree days of warm weather.