Best movie of the year...best soundtrack of the year.

Artist: Various
Album: Walk The Line
Label: Wind-up
Tracks: 16
Reviewed By: Chaz

Walk The Line is one of my favorite movies of the year, if not ever. I have seen it three times in the theatre and plain on seeing it more. Johnny Cash is a personal hero of mine and I found it amazing to see a good portion of his life portrayed on the silver screen. Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon both did an amazing job of playing Johnny Cash and June Carter. Not only did they do a great job in showing their acting skills, they did an amazing job in their singing ability in their effort to copy the sound of Johnny and June. Of course, I would never say that they did better than Johnny and June. There is no way they could do better than the original. Joaquin Phoenix does a great job with his impersonation but I felt his voice was a tad too deep at times and didn't always capture Cash's passion. It was the opposite with Reese Witherspoon. Her voice was a little too high pitched while June Carter voice was a little deeper and raw. Overall, they did the best they could do. I don't deny that they probably spent months with voice and singing coaches to match the sound but still, they did an amazing job.

Outside Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon, there were two other extremely solid songs by other actors on this album. Waylon Malloy Payne impersonation of Jerry Lee Lewis is amazing, not just on CD but also in the movie. Also, Waylon Jennings son, Shooter Jennings, does an amazing job on "I'm A Long Way From Home". The only bad marks on this album are the performances by Tyler Hilton as Elvis Presley. On screen he did a decent job of portraying The King but vocally, he fell way short. Also Jonathon Rice did a horrible job of doing Roy Orbison. I thought it was Buddy Holly the first time I saw the movie and vocally it is more Buddy Holly than Roy Orbison.

Overall, you can't beat an original. The best song on this album and in the movie is the Bob Dylan cover and Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon duet of "It Ain't Me Babe". I could listen to it for days on end. I really hope that when the Academy Awards comes around that Joaquin Phoenix & Reese Witherspoon do a duet on stage and I hope that it's "It Ain't Me Babe" but I will be just as happy with "Jackson" which is my all time favorite Johnny Cash song. I also hope that Walk The Line sweeps the Academy Awards. This is the best movie of the year and the best soundtrack of the year as well.