Former President George Bush, the 41st President of the United States recounts his life story - from his childhood in Kennebunkport, Maine to his service in World War II, from his time Directorship of the CIA to the White House - in the new HBO Documentary, 41...

Mark Kilian's score for 41 shows a lot of promise, but sadly never get the chance to shine through. There are segments where this sounds like an interesting experimentation in classical music (tracks like 'Robin'), and then there are moments where it sinks into cliched documentary background music territory ('World at War' and 'Lost Airmen' being good examples).

It's a shame, because there are enough elements here that should have allowed Kilian to flex his creative muscles. Listening to the finished score in isolation, I can't help feel that someone was reigning him in, asking him to keep it simple.

The album consists of 27 tracks and has a running time of 53 min, 30 sec. While this is more hit than miss, it's not a soundtrack I'd urge you to rush out and buy unless you've seen the film and were hooked by the music.

7

Darren Rea