Craig Armstrong Albums (6)
'Elizabeth: The Golden Age'
Release Date 1/1/2007
Tracks 20
Label Universal
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Since it was only two years earlier in 2005 that HBO covered the same material in a two-part, three-and-a-half-hour mini-series called Elizabeth I, starring Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons, and there have been earlier depictions as well, one may wonder why the world needed yet another movie about the 16th century queen of England in 2007. But director Shekhar Kapur could make prior claim to the story in the sense that Elizabeth: The Golden Age was really a sequel, nine years on, to his 1998 film Elizabeth, also starring Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush, and treating the famed monarch's early years. Elizabeth: The Golden Age moved on to the familiar events of the 1580s, well into Elizabeth's long reign, including the execution of Mary Queen of Scots and the defeat of the Spanish Armada. To handle the scoring, Kapur turned to two composers, Craig Armstrong and A.R. Rahman, who are co-credited on all the compositions. Their writing, for an orchestra with bits of "programming" (the percussion sounds augmented by synthesized effects here and there), seems well shaped to the story, providing stately, majestic themes like "Immensities" before turning to an ominous, foreboding cue with choir for the inevitable "Mary's Beheading" and drum rolls and rollicking rhythms for "Battle." At odd moments, for instance in the vocal solo in "Mary's Beheading" and in a sitar-like sound in "Divinity Theme," there is a seemingly inappropriate Indian flavor to the music. Such sounds recall similar elements in another adaptation of a thoroughly English story, Mira Nair's 2004 film of Vanity Fair, and one can't help wondering if the Indian or Indian-heritage artists making these films and these scores felt compelled to sneak a bit of their own culture in, whether it makes sense or not, perhaps as a claim on the Indian influence on the British Empire. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The genius of Craig Armstrong lies in his flair for the dramatic and sweeping orchestration, which are then fused with mild electronic influences and digital processing. But the true test involves looking beneath all of the production to find if his compositions can stand on their own. Stripped to their bare essentials of piano with minimal accompaniment, many of Armstrong's most recognizable pieces are revisited here under a different light. Many of the selections quietly served as incidental or background music for films (inclusions from Moulin Rouge, Romeo and Juliet, and Love Actually are all present), while others appeared on previous solo releases. Extracted from their original settings, they present a haunting quality that's only intensified by the sparse instrumentation. Piano Works offers the skeletal blueprints of these compositions, but also brings forth the honesty and clarity of these ideas stripped of grandiose pretense. ~ Rob Theakston, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
If the lush, sweeping strings and ambient beats of The Space Between Us seemed cinematic, As if to Nothing suggests an even bolder turn toward film score territory. It's an indication of how Armstrong's stock rose after Moulin Rouge was released and after his work with Massive Attack was featured in advertisements and soundtracks around the world that so many collaborators join the fray here. Bono, Evan Dando, Mogwai, Photek, and David McAlmont all attempt star turns, and less well-known performers from Big Dish, Alpha, and Laub get in on the festivities as well. But Armstrong's string arrangements are still the focal point, to the extent that most of the collaborators are relegated to a back seat. The album's high points mostly reside in the instrumentals, though Evan Dando's vocals break through the electronic wash in "Wake up in New York" and former Big Dish member Steven Lindsay's voice shines through on "Let It Be Love." Swati Natekar and Mogwai give a strong showing with "Miracle" and Alpha vocalist Wendy Stubbs' tenderly voiced "Sea Song" is sublime, though less studio polish would have aided both songs. The showy reworking of U2's "Stay (Faraway, So Close!)" gives Bono the chance to emote like few contemporary U2 songs. The brilliant "Waltz" sees Laub's Antye Greie-Fuchs presenting a spoken-word manifesto over ambient gurgling. The instrumental "Inhaler" is a punishing change of pace, though it betrays a heavy Depeche Mode influence. Armstrong is certainly a talented studio technician, but there's a sense that he's relying too heavily on his patented string arrangements on As if to Nothing. While the album is another stylized dose of theatrical pop electronica, there is an undeniable feeling that Craig Armstrong is holding back. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Craig Armstrong's score for The Bone Collector adds to the film's dark, tense story of a bed-bound forensics detective (Denzel Washington) and a policewoman (Angelina Jolie) who must work together to stop a series of grisly murders. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Craig Armstrong's long history of string arrangements and composing (for U2, Massive Attack, the Romeo + Juliet soundtrack) helps him out on his solo debut album. The Space Between Us is impeccably produced, from the redos of Massive Attack's "Weather Storm" and the music from the balcony scene of Romeo + Juliet to the new ballad "This Love," with vocals by Cocteau Twins' Elizabeth Fraser. If there is a problem with the album, it's that some other tracks have that vague feel of a soundtrack or original score that sounds pleasant enough but doesn't make for diverting listening. Still, there are enough compelling moments to make the album worthwhile. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide
