"My Blueberry Nights" is a strong soundtrack collection. Norah Jones who stars in the film wrote the song "The Story" on set, which was included in the film. She sings, "I don't know how to begin because the story has been told before; I will sing along, I suppose it's just how it goes." Director Kar Wai explains in the liner notes that he went to music stores and bought CDs that were played on the stereo on cross country trips which scouted locations for the film. He loved Cat Power's CD The Greatest and included that title track and "Living Proof" from the CD on the soundtrack. Cassandra Wilson's recording of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" was another track that he put together with a slide show from the road trips to help Norah Young get a feel for the film's content. Ry Cooder also contributed to the film with several of his instrumentals being stand-out tracks such as "Long Ride" & "Bus Ride." Mavis Staples who also participated in the blockbuster set I Believe to My Soul turns in an amazing performance on "Eyes on the Prize." Gustavo Santaolalla's lovely instrumental "Pajaros" is a gentle instrumental lament. Ruth Brown, one of my favorite classic soul singers, has "Looking Back" included on the disc. Otis Redding's classic recording "Try a Little Tenderness" is also here. This is a very good soundtrack, diverse in feel to match the changing moods of the film, which I'm looking forward to seeing! Enjoy!
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