THE RUM DIARY

Christopher Young (Lakeshore)

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Kicked off by Dean Martin's breezy cover of Volare. Christopher Young plies a fantastic jazz-driven score that bestows an exuberant sense of cool and mischief on this adaptation of Gonzo legend Hunter S. Thompson's early novel. The title track and Rockin' On Rooster infuse a Latin tone, mixing Spanish guitar ana saxophone, while Suckf ish And Snake adds scat vocals to great effect Best of all, The Biggest Crook In New Jersey offers a vivid display of free-form jazz that evokes a rum-fuelled haze. Johnny Depp's own band add a couple of rollicking, guitar-driven instrumentais, while Patti Smith strikes an elegiac climax with The Mermaid Song. DG ****