With the soundtrack to Shallow Hal, the Farrelly brothers maintain their reputation for having clever, appropriate musical choices for their gross-out romantic comedies. Though it's not quite as fully realized as There's Something About Mary's
Jonathan Richman-based soundtrack, or as high concept as Me, Myself & Irene's
Steely Dan-obsessed collection of music,
Shallow Hal is still worthwhile, starting off strong with the one-two punch of "Members Only," one of
Sheryl Crow's more underrated songs, and
PJ Harvey's starry-eyed "Good Fortune."
Lucinda Williams' "Lonely Girls" and
Shelby Lynne's "Wall in Your Heart" maintain the album's surprisingly sweet, romantic tone;
Darius Rucker's solo debut, "This Is My World," takes the former
Hootie & the Blowfish singer's sound in a smooth, soulful direction that fits his voice well, yet ends up sounding less distinctive than his work with his old group.
Rosey's "Afterlife,"
Phoenix's "Summer Days," and
Randy Weeks' "Countryside" are similarly pleasant yet nondescript. Where the soundtrack really shines is in its choice of vintage material, which includes
Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush" and
Edison Lighthouse's oldie but goodie "Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Grows)," which also reflects the name of the film's heavy but good-hearted love interest. But the album's cleverest stroke has to be "Baby, Now That I've Found You" by
the Foundations, who also provided There's Something About Mary's surprise hit "Build Me Up Buttercup." Like many other soundtracks,
Shallow Hal is often uneven, but it offers enough character to make it worthwhile for fans of the film it supports. ~ Heather Phares