by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Elton John might not seem like the obvious selection to score an Albert Brooks film -- after all, Elton is flamboyant and Brooks is all about understatement. However, Brooks' The Muse is a hollywood farce starring Sharon Stone, who is nearly as big a diva as Elton. And maybe that's why The Muse is such a delightful little score. John's title track is a solid, if not particularly memorable, exercise in late '90s mid-tempo adult contemporary craftsmanship (the additional remix by hitmaker Jermaine Dupri isn't all that different from the original mix), but the majority of the album is devoted to the wonderful, lighthearted, orchestrated score from John. It's never deep, but it's nimble, clever, and engaging, even when taken on its own terms, apart from the film. It's a wholly successful return to scoring for John.