The soundtrack to Warner Brothers live-action animal caper Racing Stripes is surprisingly bereft of
Elton John or
Phil Collins songs. What it does have is
Sting, an artist who normally takes himself so seriously that it's like listening to a United Nations speech, and Bryan Adams, an artist who nobody takes too seriously but continues to make records.
Sting's contribution is an amiable attempt at channeling the trials and tribulations of a talking Zebra that yearns to succeed in the world of horse racing. The elegiac tone and odd chord changes render "Taking the Inside Rail" too weird for Top Forty, but it will probably be nominated for an Academy Award because it's
Sting. Bryan Adams on the other hand phones in a another mid-tempo rock ballad that, with it's "winners take all" message of personal empowerment, will likely accompany year-end high-school football montages all over the country. The bulk of Racing Stripes is taken up by
Mark Isham's serviceable -- but ultimately forgettable -- score. ~ James Christopher Monger