Entertainment Weekly (p.76) - "[T]hanks to the lush orchestrations, Stephen Sondheim's score -- all jagged harmonies and beautiful dissonance -- has never seemed more alive." -- Grade: B+
This deluxe edition of the 2007 soundtrack to Tim Burton's movie adaptation of the macabre musical SWEENEY TODD features revered actor Johnny Depp performing as the murderous title character. Despite having played in a few rock bands (most notably P with Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes), Depp had little singing experience before the role, yet he approaches Stephen Sondheim's songs with both emotion and intuitive skill, as exemplified by the dramatic "Epiphany," Todd's skewed manifesto of revenge. Depp's thoughtful, distinctly non-Broadway-like take on Todd anchors the film, allowing it to avoid operatic show-tune cliches and giving these impressive tracks an appeal far beyond the theater-going set.