The soundtrack to the 2008 remake of director George Cukor's classic 1939 proto-feminist film,
The Women is a frothy and relaxed mix of contemporary singer/songwriter and indie pop. In the liner notes, writer/director Diane English relates that she wanted something reminiscent of the original film's Jazz Age vibe that would also reflect her version's modern point of view. In that sense, you get a healthy dose of such well-regarded artists as
Annie Lennox,
KT Tunstall, and
Feist. Similarly, cuts by such lesser-known but likeminded groups as
Goldfrapp and
the Bird and the Bee lend a cerebral, airy sophistication to what could have been a rather commercial affair. What is particularly interesting, though, is that with all of these established heavyweight artists on the bill, it's newcomer Lucy Schwartz who gets to bookend the proceedings with her two original songs "Count on Me" (produced by
Mitchell Froom) and "Beautiful" (produced by
Walter Becker and Larry Klein). With an earnest voice reminiscent of '70s icon
Carole King, Schwartz is a perfect torchbearer for the film's female-centric message. ~ Matt Collar