The computer-animated adventure film, Puss in Boots, is a spin-off prequel to the Shrek series that follows the character Puss in Boots on his adventures before his first appearance in Shrek. A notorious fighter, lover and outlaw Puss in Boots becomes a hero when he sets off on an adventure with Kitty Softpaws and Humpty Dumpty to save his town...

Composer Henry Jackman is best known for his movie scores for The Dark Knight and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. For the Puss In Boots score, Jackman uses folk instruments from traditional Latin music. Inspired by Spanish composer Manuel de Falla, Jackman blends guitars and Latin percussion with an orchestral sound influenced by Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. The album includes two tracks from Mexican guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela. A fixture on the world music circuit, they are known for their nimble-fingered guitar work and diverse background.

While technically this is a faultless album, it's packed to the rafters with cliched Latin music - which given the setting of the movie is not a surprise. However, when it does give way to the more classically based sounds, it shows great promise. This is a beautiful score here attempting to claw its way out, but the heavily influenced Latin feel may put off a lot of soundtrack collectors.

With a running time just short of 1 hour, 6 mins, you certainly get value for money.

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Darren Rea