Pollock

Internationally acclaimed painter Jackson Pollock's work was inspired by the energy of the moment and the subliminal patterns of human thought. So too has film scorer Jeff Beal sought to integrate the many moods of the creative life in a score that combines the feeling of pastoral retreat (where Pollock did his work) with the manic-obsessive moments of divine inspiration. No better is this exemplified than in "Stroke of Genius" where a calm, lulling beginning morphs into a powerful finale. For the most part, however, this is a subdued collection. In an inspired stroke, Tom Waits interjects his own "The World Keeps Turning" into the process. The always jarring vocalist can undercut the most sentimental of pathos with a voice best described as sounding--and this is a high compliment--"back from the dead." --Rob O'Connor