The soundtrack to the upcoming psychological thriller film Mother Mary<\/i> is presented here as a stand-alone album as well as a companion piece to the film. Directed by David Lowery, Mother Mary<\/i> tells a twisted, co-dependent tale of a pop diva named Mother Mary, played by Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway. The character of Mother Mary \u2013 a performer who employs elements of theatre and performance art in her work \u2013 is a clear amalgam of Lady Gaga and Madonna.<\/p>\n
When creating the character, Lowery tapped into the kind of parasocial relationships that fans of pop superstars like Madonna, Taylor Swift or Beyonc\u00e9 have; these famous and talented women inspire their fans into believing that they somehow have forged personal connections with these celebrities. The central relationship in Mother Mary <\/i>is between the pop star and her costumer, an estranged friend from her past. What transpires is a deeply disturbing, dark, and twisted psychodrama between the two characters.<\/p>\n
Released to coincide with the film\u2019s bow is the soundtrack to the film. Similarly to other musical dramas like Judy<\/i>, Vox Lux<\/i>, and A Complete Unknown<\/i>, which have the leads record their own vocals for the film, Mother Mary: Greatest Hits<\/i> features vocal performances by Hathaway. This detail should not be met with too much scepticism or wariness, as the actress has proven several times to be a gifted singer, most notably with her Oscar-winning turn in Tom Hooper\u2019s 2012 musical melodrama Les Mis\u00e9rables,<\/i> her tear-stained and anguished rendition of the musical\u2019s anthem \u201cI Dreamed a Dream\u201d a highlight.<\/p>\n
She has also recorded sporadically throughout her career, appearing on the soundtracks of her films like Ella Enchanted<\/i>, Hoodwinked, Rio, <\/i>and its sequel, Rio 2<\/i>. Perhaps her heaviest singing gig was duetting with Barbra Streisand on \u201cAt The Ballet\u201d from A Chorus Line<\/i> from the legendary diva\u2019s 2016 duets album. As a singer, Hathaway has a pleasant, pretty voice with charming notes. She is also somewhat of a theatre kid and therefore carries herself as a vocalist with the competent, professional skill of a hardworking pro.<\/p>\n
On Mother Mary: Greatest Hits<\/i> channels her inner Madonna on a set of original songs penned by heavy hitters like Jack Antonoff, Charli XCX, and FKA Twigs (Hathaway contributes to some of the songwriting, as well). Matching the dark, brooding tone of the film, this album features high-octane dance numbers, but none reach for a delirious disco-induced euphoria. Instead, these songs sound moody and intense, despite the pounding drum machines, swirling synths, and ethereal vocals. For most of the songs, Hathaway\u2019s strong\u2014if somewhat blank\u2014voice is awash in studio sheen and gloss. Conversely, on the album\u2019s sole ballad, \u201cCut Ties,\u201d Hathaway\u2019s vocals sound eerily like American Life<\/i>-era Madonna.<\/p>\n
The best song is the first track, \u201cHoly Spirit,\u201d a fantastic co-writing collaboration between Antonoff, Charli XCX, George Daniel, and Hathaway. Referencing much of the holy and sacred allusion and imagery in Madonna\u2019s music, \u201cHoly Spirit\u201d is a driving, energetic song with an incredibly catchy chorus and a muscular vocal performance by the actress. Similarly excellent is the album\u2019s first single, \u201cBurial,\u201d which sports gorgeous, clipped singing by Hathaway.<\/p>\n
FKA Twigs contributes to the record with the new wave-inspired \u201cMy Mouth Is Lonely For You,\u201d which captures the swoony, melancholic sound of the synth-pop balladeers like Erasure and the Pet Shop Boys. Hathaway injects just enough yearning to give bleak and hopeless lines like \u201cBad conversation, cigarettes \/ Words you told me, empty threats \/ Chewing gum, I\u2019m so empty\u201d a heart-stabbing urgency. (The bit about \u201cchewing gum\u201d could also be an inside joke, referencing Hathaway\u2019s co-star Michaela Coel\u2019s self-penned BBC sitcom Chewing Gum<\/i>.)<\/p>\n
Not all of the album works without the context of the film. Songs like \u201cBlue Flame\u201d and \u201cDark Candle\u201d push Hathaway into a synth-driven art-pop that would benefit from a more distinct and singular vocalist. The uncanny, creeping sound needs the visuals from the film\u2014the songs aren\u2019t strong enough to stand on their own.<\/p>\n
And that is the ultimate question when these kinds of albums are released. Are they strong enough to merit listening without watching the films? Despite earning a Grammy nomination and an Oscar win, Ren\u00e9e Zellweger\u2019s imitation of Judy Garland on Judy<\/i> has limited appeal; as does Natalie Portman\u2019s singing on Vox Lux<\/i>; Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet\u2019s work on the Bob Dylan-inspired A Complete Unknown<\/i> is dedicated enough that the soundtrack is a compelling listen.<\/p>\n
Mother Mary: Greatest Hits<\/i> is good\u2014and Anne Hathaway draws listeners in\u2014but it probably won\u2019t have the legs to stand on its own. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":35476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"artist":[11181],"rating":[5615],"class_list":["post-47372","review","type-review","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","artist-anne-hathaway","rating-rating-b"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/47372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/93"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/47372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=47372"},{"taxonomy":"rating","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rating?post=47372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}