In Contention

Tag: Alicia Keys

  • TECH SUPPORT: Best Original Song

    Tech Support at In ContentionAs I said a few weeks ago, I would not analyze the last “tech” category until the eligible entries had been announced. Now that the Academy has named 49 finalists for Best Original Song, and with the BFCA and HFPA rattling off their list of nominees (though they are, admittedly, not great predictors), the time seems appropriate to have an in depth look into the category.

    It’s a good mantra to say “there are no locks” in this field. Since the rules were changed three years ago, forcing voters to watch the songs in the context of the movie, some surprises have certainly been in store.  Nonetheless, there are two titles this year I’d be very surprised to see miss the cut.

    The first is Bruce Springsteen’s title track for Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler.” One of the most deserving winners ever in this category (for “Streets of Philadelphia”), his ends credits track seems poised to bring him his third Oscar nomination. In addition to the song perfectly fitting the film, it is also simply a great tune.

    I expect Springsteen to battle it out for the win with “Down to Earth,” the “WALL-E” tune from Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman.  Now here is a film whose performance in the precursors has absolutely shocked me (albeit in the best way possible). Gabriel has yet to have a hit with the Academy but he’s never written anything that was so Oscar friendly before either. And while Newman has yet to be nominated for a song, he’s never had a song in contention before and he’s also yet to win for his portfolio of classic scores.

    Admittedly, both these tunes only play at the end of the movie, over the credit roll. This seems to have become a disadvantage in recent years. But I still would be surprised if either title failed to make the cut when all is said and done.

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  • Naming and shaming

    I think it’s fair to say that Jack White and Alicia Keys’ Bond theme (which so disappointed yours truly) is not going down all that well.

    So much so that Popjustice, one of my personal favourite websites, is seeking retribution.

  • ‘Quantum of Solace’ theme is out

    It’s finally landed. “Another Way to Die,” the theme song recorded by Jack White and Alicia Keys for the latest installment of the Bond franchise, made its radio debut earlier today — listen to it here and see what you think.

    I must say, on first listen, I’m a little disappointed. Perhaps it’s a grower. But for all the gutsy guitar riffs and atmospheric build-up, I found any clear melody — the bedrock of all the best Bond compositions from “You Only Live Twice” to “Nobody Does It Better” — distinctly lacking. And Keys’ presence is so muted, I’m not sure what the point of the duet was.

    I have a feeling we won’t be seeing this performed on Oscar night. Your thoughts?

    (EDIT: Thanks to Bradley Porter for sending me the full song, sans DJ intrusion. I will try and amend the post to include the song, but technical issues fail me at the moment.)

  • A taste of ‘Another Way to Die’

    Jack White is reportedly none too pleased about this, but an instrumental sample of “Another Way to Die,” his much-awaited Bond theme on which he duets with Alicia Keys, has been revealed in a new ad for Coke Zero.

    The ad, a promotional tie-in which finds the soft drink rebranded as Zero Zero 7 (geddit?) is a fairly low-rent knockoff of a typical Bond credit sequence, but the music is terrific — sounds like White has married his own guitar sound with a throwback to John Barry brassiness. If the vocals are this good, it could be the best Bond theme in some time.

  • Bond chooses ‘Another Way to Die’

    Well, I said I would remain guarded when the rumour mill stated that Duffy was “almost certain” to sing the long-discussed theme song for “Quantum of Solace.” And rightly so. After a drawn-out process in which seemingly everyone in the pop universe but Michael Jackson was at one point in the running, the producers have finally announced their selection. And I, for one, did not see this coming.

    Alicia Keys. And Jack White. Together.

    Yep, in what will be the first ever duet in the 22-song history of Bond themes, the soul diva (who was, in fact, deemed the frontrunner for the gig a few weeks ago) and the blues-rocker will collaborate on “Another Way to Die.” (Now wouldn’t that have been a better title for the film?) The White Stripes and Raconteurs frontman is writing and producing the track, and will also – oddly – play drums. (Is Meg busy or something?)

    Now I know this sounds hypocritical coming from me, since I pretty much slated Keys as a potential Bond chanteuse, but this pairing has me excited. Keys has a terrific voice; it’s her bland songwriting of late that has bothered me. White’s writing should hopefully push her into more dangerous musical territory, and the fusion of her lush throwback sound with his more elemental style sounds like a good fit for an old-school film franchise that’s undergone a very contemporary makeover.

    At the very least, the song should be interesting. (And I haven’t said that about a Bond theme in some time.) And the team-up has the right balance of familiarity and critical cred to prove, potentially, rather Oscar- friendly. It’d be nice to have a Brit involved, but you can’t have it all.

    Smart choice, 007.

  • Do we finally have a Bond singer?

    The Independent says we do… and it’s Duffy.

    I wrote last week about the seemingly endless parade of names that had been tipped to sing the theme for “Quantum of Solace,” which had most recently stopped at Alicia Keys. Now a “reliable mole” at Pinewood Studios says the 22 year-old Welsh soul revivalist is “almost certain” to be handed the gig.

    There have been so many rumours about this over the months that I remain guarded, but the bookies are certainly believing this one – Ladbrokes have slashed Duffy’s odds to even money. (Yes, the Brits bet on everything.)

    If so, I have no complaints about the choice. “Mercy” is a pretty fantastic pop record, and I wouldn’t mind if the “Quantum of Solace” theme turned out sounding something like it, with a few added strings, perhaps. (I only hope they aren’t planning to work that godawful title into the song.)

    I’ve already said I’d have preferred Amy Winehouse, but that was clearly not happening. Meanwhile, Duffy, with her throwback Springfield-esque voice, button-cute blonde looks and squeaky clean personal image, is essentially the Winehouse you can take home to mom. She’s a hot property right now – her (rather good) album “Rockferry” is the biggest seller of 2008 in the UK so far, and it’s gone gold Stateside too. It’s not hard to see why she would appeal to the 007 producers.

    Not betting the house on this yet, though.

  • Bond song battle goes on… and on

    Alicia KeysI’m taking yesterday’s news that Alicia Keys is the “top contender” to sing the theme song for “Quantum of Solace” with a grain of salt. I’ve had my eye on this story for a while, and since initial frontrunner Amy Winehouse became a hazy prospect, any number of names have been thrown into the pot.

    First it was (God help us) Beyonce. Then the Bond producers were apparently “set on” Leona Lewis. Then Duffy, a soul revivalist in the Winehouse vein, began dropping hints that she had the gig. Then Duran Duran. (You tell me why.) Then Annie Lennox. Even Jack White’s name has been bandied around. Now Keys.

    The Keys rumour appears moderately more credible than some of the others, but if so, she strikes me as an odd choice. All the best Bond themes (“Goldfinger,” “You Only Live Twice,” “Nobody Does It Better,” since you asked) project a sense of danger, sex appeal even, amid the lush arrangements. Keys’ edgeless, uber-earnest R&B just doesn’t fit the bill, to my mind.

    The names put forward so far suggest that the producers are looking for more of a throwback sound after the last two attempts at modernising the formula (Chris Cornell’s oddly dated-sounding “You Know My Name” and Madonna’s plain dismal “Die Another Day”) didn’t exactly set the world alight. The arrival of the Bond theme used to be an event in itself – the amount of press over this installment’s vocalist suggests the producers are trying to recapture that level of anticipation.

    You’d expect the year’s most discussed movie song to be a cinch for an Oscar nomination, whoever lands the gig, but history suggests otherwise. Only three Bond themes (“Live and Let Die,” “Nobody Does It Better,” and – ugh – “For Your Eyes Only”) have ever been nominated, all unsuccessfully. But with the slate of Best Song contenders this year looking sparser than usual, and “Casino Royale” having given the franchise a major boost in cred, the odds of a nomination look better than usual. The producers should therefore be especially canny about who they choose.

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