Runaway Bride: Music From the Motion Picture

Since the reunion of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere in Runaway Bride was designed to be a crowd-pleasing romantic comedy, it isn't surprising that its accompanying soundtrack was also a crowd-pleaser, with a little bit of something to please everybody. It is somewhat surprising that an album that tackles so many different styles -- alternative pop/rock, new wave, singer/songwriters, contemporary country, R&B, cool jazz, urban soul, and Latin pop all sit side-by-side on the album -- actually works. Maybe that's because every song on the album fits the theme of the skittish bride, who has run from the altar many times before and finally finds love. Whether it's a cover, an oldie, or a new tune, it all ties back to the romance theme. Like most big-budget soundtracks, there are a few new tunes that fall flat, but since Diane Warren and Desmond Child are behind new tunes by Eric Clapton and Hall & Oates, respectively, it's actually stronger than the average soundtrack of its ilk. It has a consistent tone and mood, which is only broken by Billy Joel's pounding cover of Lloyd Price's "Where Were You (On Our Wedding Day)?" -- an uptempo rocker that finds the piano man straining to sound as vigorous as he did on "Easy Money" (and it's fun to hear him try). All in all, Runaway Bride is hardly a major album, not even reaching the standards of Pretty Woman, but it should please fans of the film.