Daniel Lanois 3: Sling Blade

Production work and his own musical forays were still trickling in, but Daniel Lanois arguably got his widest exposure in the mid-‘90s in the context of Billy Bob Thornton’s breakthrough film Sling Blade. Lanois’ swampy atmospherics were well suited to heavy, hot, and humid scenery in the movie, and are weaved through out the soundtrack album. “Bettina”, “Omni”, and “Secret Place” are trademark instrumentals in his brand, and “Asylum”, “Orange Kay”, and “Blue Waltz” are suitably dark. Fellow Hamiltonian Russell Wilson collaborated with engineer Mark Howard on “Phone Call”. “Jimmy Was” isn’t that far musically from “Still Water” from his debut solo release, and “The Maker” resurfaces over the closing credits, ending the album.

Mostly, if there are vocals, they’re by other people. A relatively brief “Shenandoah” comes from his recent sessions producing Emmylou Harris, while Tim Gibbons, another Ontario native, croons his own brooding “Lonely One”. We were mystified for years by Bambi Lee Savage, whose “Darlin’” provides a wonderfully sweet break here and in the movie, until we found out she was previously known as Shannon Strong, who’d had engineering credits on U2’s Achtung Baby and their Passengers album with Brian Eno. The old 45 of “Soul Dressing” by Booker T. & The M.G.’s fits just fine, while the inclusion of Local H’s cover of Guided By Voices’ “Smothered In Hugs” seems like record label finagling, since it’s not in the film, wonderful as it is. Sadly, the backporch performance by Dwight Yoakam’s character’s band in the movie, featuring Ian Moore, Vic Chestnutt, Col. Bruce Hampton, and Mickey Jones, is not included. (For those who haven’t seen it, Dwight is genuinely terrifying in this film.)

Decades later, after the album had gone out of print and he’d started selling music via his own website, My Music For Billy Bob recycled his own contributions to the soundtrack, and added a few that didn’t make it, some for obvious reasons. “The One I Love” has a drum machine and doesn’t sound like much more than a demo, but “Nicky” is based around a pretty piano and other keyboards, and “London” has that eerie quality that may well have been used somewhere. “Willie Brown” would appear edited as “Flametop Green” on Belladonna, and the melody of “Moondog” would end up on another Emmylou Harris album. The album is nice to have if you can’t find the soundtrack, but you will end up with yet another copy of “The Maker”.

Music From The Miramax Motion Picture Sling Blade (1996)—3½
Daniel Lanois My Music For Billy Bob (2014)—3