The Woman King (soundtrack)

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The Woman King (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
The Woman King (soundtrack).jpg
Film score by
ReleasedSeptember 16, 2022 (2022-09-16)
Recorded2022
Genre Film score
Length82:33
Label Milan
Producer Terence Blanchard
Terence Blanchard chronology
One Night in Miami...
(2020)
The Woman King
(2022)
No.TitlePerformer(s)Length
1."Dahomey at a Crossroads" 1:28
2."Enemy Village" 2:35
3."Stronger Warriors" 0:46
4."Road to Abomey" 2:01
5."Agojie Return" 1:37
6."Entering Palace" 1:15
7."Oyo Warriors to the Village" 1:05
8."The King's Entrance" 0:37
9."You are Called to Join the King's Guard" 2:04
10."Tribute to the King"South African Choir0:51
11."Agojie Training Montage" 2:06
12."Nawi and Izogie (Part 1)" 0:54
13."Nawi Trains Alone" 0:40
14."The Oyo Arrive" 1:54
15."Sometimes a Mouse Can Take Down an Elephant" 1:23
16."Choosing Agojie for the Oyo" 1:40
17."Malik Arrives" 1:18
18."We Bring Tribute" 2:59
19."With One Purpose" 1:20
20."Palm Oil" 1:30
21."Through the Jungle" 1:23
22."Malik and Santo Enter Abomey" 0:41
23."Final Test" 2:27
24."To the Vector" 1:16
25."To Be Great You Must Focus" 1:52
26."A Shark's Tooth" 2:57
27."Agojie It's War"
  • Jabu Chirindah
  • South African Choir
2:09
28."Nawi Learns the Truth" 0:50
29."The Blade of Freedom" 0:38
30."Oyo Battle" 7:17
31."You Fought Well" 2:57
32."Nawi and Izogie (Part 2)" 3:22
33."I Have to Try to Save Her" 2:02
34."There Will Be No Prisoners" 1:46
35."Blood of Our Sisters"
  • Nokukhanya Dlamini
  • South African Choir
1:02
36."The Final Battle" 5:28
37."Nawi and Malik" 1:00
38."Coronation" 2:31
39."Whiskey for Izogie" 2:47
40."Mother Will You Dance" 1:28
41."The Woman King" 2:47
42."Traditional Benin Song"0:36
43."Keep Rising"3:14
Total length:82:33

Reception

Music critic Jonathan Broxton wrote "The Woman King is an outstanding score. It’s a rich tapestry of themes and motifs, with one especially prominent one that will remain in the memory. Blanchard’s use of native percussion and African-inspired vocals throughout the score is especially impressive, and the way he blends these themes and textures into the excellent action sequences is really quite superb. Fans of scores like The Lion King and Black Panther will be especially enthralled by what Terence Blanchard has done here but, honestly, unless you have some sort of knee-jerk aversion to music that has influences from Africa, I can see this having a generally broad appeal – one that can carry him all the way to the Academy Awards." [5]

Filmtracks.com wrote "The Woman King is an admirable career achievement for Blanchard and provides its topic with appropriately intelligent dignity and scope." The review further continued "The absence of larger purpose or clear organization to all of these wayward melodies causes some consternation for listeners not enamored solely by the scope of performance sounds in The Woman King. Those stylings are fantastic, and those who don't particularly care about melodic details will find the score to be a magnificent treat of performances spanning Western orchestral conventions and West African history. The recording's presentation is dry and does at times lack depth of layers, the absence of counterpoint lines a particular detraction. On its album, the 74 minutes of score spread over 38 cues isn't arranged for an optimal listening experience, those contents requiring rearrangement and combination for a half hour of very engaging highlights." [6]

Robert Daniels of RogerEbert.com wrote "the evocative score by Terence Blanchard and Lebo M. gives voice to the Agojie’s fighting spirit". [7] Kambole Campbell of Empire wrote "Terence Blanchard’s score, too, threatens to undermine the quieter moments with overwrought schmaltz (a shame, given the composer’s usual handle on drama)." [8] Mae Abdulbaki of Screen Rant mentioned the score as "hypnotic". [9]

Accolades

Accolades received by Top Gun: Maverick
AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Grammy Awards February 5, 2023 Best Song Written for Visual Media Angélique Kidjo, Jeremy Lutito and Jessy Wilson for "Keep Rising"Nominated [10]
Hollywood Music in Media Awards November 16, 2022 Best Original Score in a Feature Film Terence Blanchard Won [11]
NAACP Image Awards February 25, 2023 Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation AlbumTerence BlanchardNominated [12]
Satellite Awards February 11, 2023 Best Original Score Terence BlanchardNominated [13]

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References

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  8. "The Woman King". Empire. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  9. Abdulbaki, Mae (September 13, 2022). "The Woman King Review: An Action Epic With Heart & A Stunning Ensemble Cast". ScreenRant. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
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