Whether you like an ARR soundtrack or not, to me there is no denying that his signature is always strongly felt in each soundtrack. That signature to me is a combination of unique sounds, crafy arrangements, compositional complexity and unconventionality, soaring melodies, and passionate, thoughtful execution.
When putting favorite songs from various albums recently into a compilation CD, there was strong consistency in overall compositional quality between each song, no matter which album the song was from. Barring a few exceptions, ARR's signature is strong in each composition and no song sounds out of place in the compilation, easily identifiable as an ARR quality composition. Whether one likes a song or not for other reasons is a different ballgame. It's amazing that despite the incredible diverse range of his music in terms of genres and sounds showcasing his top versatility, his compositions mostly have that unique, consistent stamp of his. To me, it's a hallmark of a great artist, not just a great entertainer. ARR is both...great artist and great entertainer, and he shows them in variying degrees for each soundtrack. For example, most recently, the music of Delhi 6 to me shows more of ARR's artistic/aesthetic side. The music of Blue, by comparison, shows more of ARR's entertaining/commercial strengths. Artist and entertainer qualities are not mutually exclusive descriptors, but on a continuum and subject to interpretation. These are my thoughts only and I speak for nobody else here in case anyone thinks I'm trying to force an opinion!
