Bulletproof

A truly great movie soundtrack can make the listener want to see the movie itself. That was true of Curtis Mayfield's excellent Superfly soundtrack, and outside the United States, it was true of soundtracks for movies that came from Brazil (Black Orpheus), France (A Man and a Woman), and Greece (Never on Sunday). Unfortunately, there isn't a lot on this soundtrack that would make the listener anxious to see Bulletproof, a 1996 film that starred Adam Sandler as a drug dealer who was turning state's evidence and Damon Wayans as the cop who was assigned to protect him. Most of the tunes on this CD are either urban contemporary or rap, and most of them are average. None of the tracks is terrible, but most of them are pedestrian. Nonetheless, Bulletproof has its moments. The more memorable selections range from Salt-N-Pepa's catchy "Champagne" to Rahsaan Patterson's ballad "Where You Are," which underscores the urban/neo-soul singer's appreciation of Stevie Wonder but also shows that he is his own man. Meanwhile, Chicano rapper DTTX (a member of Lighter Shade of Brown) has a likable solo number in "Tha 2 of Us," which incorporates the chorus of the Bill Withers/Grover Washington, Jr. hit, "Just the Two of Us." The only time this CD detours into rock territory is on a metal mix of Delinquent Habits' Cypress Hill-influenced "Tres Delinquentes"; the tune, which features Cypress' Sen Dog, is an example of West Coast rap with a strong rock influence. And Black Grape's techno-minded "Reverend Black Grape" is the closest that the soundtrack comes to rave music. But urban and rap are the styles that dominate this soundtrack, which isn't a meltdown but definitely isn't as strong as it could have been. ~ Alex Henderson|