I'll have to admit it.  I bought this CD entirely because it contains Brandy.  However, as I always do when I take home a new CD, I popped it in, hit play, and listened to the whole thing through.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that, although outside of my usual listening genre, most of the CD was rather enjoyable.  And although it's been forever since I've seen Batman, it recaptured the whole aura impeccably.  Quizzical, mysterious.. Batman says it all!

The CD opens to U2's “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.”  I'm not a huge pop/rock fan, but this track is quite good, nonetheless.  I tend to shy away from the ‘loud’ rock; fortunately for me, this isn't a loud track.  It's got some clever instrumentals.

U2 is followed by “One Time Too Many” by PJ Harvey.  This one somewhat reminds me of '60s/'70s rock: fuzzed guitar, distorted vocals, etc.  A little louder maybe, but still not bad.. it's a style you gotta be into to fully appreciate.

Next, a funky beat leads into Brandy, showin' off that sweet voice with her usual class, on “Where Are You Now?”  The vocal style is very much like that of her first album, but the song has a much different flavour.  The instrumentals were performed and written by Lenny Kravitz, and accordingly, they're of a much different genre than we usually hear Brandy in.

Overall, this track is quite a contrast from the innocence of “Baby” or “I Wanna Be Down.”  Brandy slid into the mood of this soundtrack surprisingly well, considering the stark contrast between it and her prior works.

Brandy's strong track is followed by another strong track, which is probably the song I had heard by far the most from this soundtrack before I actually bought it: Seal's “Kiss From A Rose.”  This is a really nice song all-around, both vocally and instrumentally.

Massive Attack and Tracey Thorn then pour on the attitude with “The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game.”  This song has mysterious, seductive instrumentals; and the vocals pretty much follow suit.  A very moody song, quite appropriate to the theme.

The attitude shifts a bit, with Eddi Reader's “Nobody Lives Without Love.”  I have two words to describe the style of this song: Cowboy Junkies.  Maybe I just don't listen to this genre enough, but to me there seems to be a striking resemblance.

Oh, dang, perhaps I spoke too soon; the next track fits the description just as well: Mazzy Star's “Tell Me Now.”  This is also a very laid-back, moody track, with some clever accoustic instrumentals.

The next track, “Smash It Up,” by The Offspring, definitely does just that.  We're taken from an extremely quiet track to an extremely loud one.  If you like loud music, you'll just love this track.  Myself, I'll stick with the first 50 seconds of it, which was actually rather artistic.

The hardcore rock continues with Nick Cave's “There Is A Light.”  Unlike the previous one, this track didn't strike me as more loud than creative; there's something interesting about it.

Dope!  That's an appropriate word for the next joint, in which Method Man busts out with some good-ol' hip-hop in “The Riddler.”  The lyric is absolutely clever in Meth's usual style.  The instrumental (or beat, if I return to hip-hop terms) is clever, mysterious, and absolutely appropriate.  The moment I heard that beat, I just thought “Riddler”, even before the hook dropped.

Playing after Meth is a pretty scary thought, but Michael Hutchence rose to the occasion very well with “The Passenger.”  This song has a perilous, yet confident air to it, with a twinge of futurism; definitely the stuff of superhero movies.

The next track, “Crossing The River” by The Devlins, somewhat reminds me of '80s pop rock.  It is quite fitting, though.  It shifts the attitude a bit from the last two songs.  This sounds like it belongs right at the end of the movie, when all is well and ended well.  Was it?  I can't even remember.

Next, Sunny Day Real Estate give us another one of those songs that trick you into taking them for sedate, just to zap your nerves about a minute in: “8.”  Although loud, it's not unbearable, and I imagine it would go over well with the rockers.

The Flaming Lips close out the CD with “Bad Days.”  Instrumentally, it's got a carnival style to it, with more than a touch of rock.  Lyrically, it's quite cute, actually; if not somewhat crazy.  (I'm too ambitious to relate to the lyrical content, though.)  It seems fitting that a Batman soundtrack would end on a rather quizzical note.

This soundtrack did a superb job, overall, of painting the mood for Batman Forever.  Brandy's track was great, and there are a number of other tracks that also make it well worth purchasing.  The faint-of-rock may find some parts a little excessive (I know I did), but most of the CD is actually rather surprisingly enjoyable.