:: Ladder 49 - Original Soundtrack

Ladder 49

It’s always interesting to observe a movie and gauge the interaction of how the score relates to the plot and nuances that a film offers. The music fits the tempo of the powerful film exceedingly well. The mood is perfectly captured, in fitting the upbeat and downbeat segments. In the case of Ladder 49, the firefighters of the Baltimore Ladder Company curse, drink, laugh and grieve amidst the adult-alternative strains of people like David Gray and Robbie Robertson. The emotion and soul is all contained within the song structures. Robertson has been a big figure in the world of rock ‘n’ roll world for forty years and this is the first time he has actually written a song for a film. He pays tribute to the firefighters through his track “Shine Your Light”. He had seen the film first and made his heartfelt gesture through a moving song. Robertson also contributes the film‘s moody final piece, ‘Reflections/Adagio’. Other contributions come from David Gray, “As I'm Leaving”, from his ‘Lost Songs’ CD, and Bonnie Raitt sings “Love Sneakin’ Up On You” from her 1994 CD “Longing In Their Hearts.” Overall, it’s a fine collection that stands up on its own, let alone as a worthy component of a powerful film.