The latest releases reviewed

JAMES NEWTON HOWARD Lady in the Water Decca ****

Although M Night Shyamalan's new film has been panned if not ridiculed by critics, his longtime composer has fortunately emerged unscathed with his masterful new score. Howard's scores (for The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, Signs and The Village) have infused Shyamalan's films with both a rare emotional complexity and a bold dramatic urgency as he continually reveals the vulnerable humanity underlying his director's increasingly clumsy genre exercises. Lady in the Water pulses and shimmers, shifting effortlessly between knowing playfulness, gentle lyricism and brooding suspense, combining dynamic orchestration (piano, strings, brass, female choir) with strong melodies (notably the two main themes) to create a score of remarkable colour and depth, particularly Prologue, Ripples in the Pool and The Healing. Forget the film and listen to the score. www.warnerbros.co.uk/ladyinthe water Jocelyn Clarke