The Notebook -- which was based on Nicholas Sparks' novel about an unusual love story spanning the '40s to the present day -- has a soundtrack that features
Aaron Zigman's score and jazz and pop from '40s greats such as
Billie Holiday,
Duke Ellington, and
Benny Goodman.
Zigman's orchestral score ranges from the serviceable ("Main Title," "Allie Returns") to the sappy ("Overture"), and, on tracks like "Noah's Journey," nods to the instrumentation of big band music without trying to recapture the feeling of it. However, the original '40s cuts are the real stars of the soundtrack; tracks such as
Holiday's "I'll Be Seeing You,"
Ellington's "Alabamy Home," and
Goodman's "Always and Always" give the album -- and the film -- more character than the score does. Songs by
Glenn Miller,
Rex Stewart, the Ellingtonians, and
Jimmy Durante also contribute to the soundtrack's atmosphere. ~ Heather Phares