Mr. & Mrs. Smith [CD]

Somewhat predictably for a movie about a pair of married assassins assigned to kill each other, Mr. & Mrs. Smith's soundtrack features a collection of tongue-in-cheek love/hate songs and heavy doses of irony. Though its concept might be a little too on-the-nose, the album's execution -- so to speak -- is actually pretty skillful and entertaining. Some of the song choices, like Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" and the Righteous Brothers' "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'," are more than a little pat, and the frequent nods to cheesy '80s and early-'90s pop (Alana D's "Baby, Baby," Air Supply's "Making Love Out of Nothing at All") don't always work, but there are plenty of other quirkier, more effective moments. Mr. & Mrs. Smith's covers work especially well, spanning Magnet and Gemma Hayes' languid, relatively faithful version of "Lay Lady Lay" to Atreyu's snarling, over the top makeover of "You Give Love a Bad Name." Though it's much quieter, Nouvelle Vague's bossa nova twist on "I'll Melt With You" is just as irreverent as Atreyu's metal theatrics; meanwhile, 8mm's "Nobody Does It Better" and Stine J.'s "You Are My Sunshine" are just downright pretty. An exotic streak runs through Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros' "Mondo Bongo" and John Powell's dashing "Assassin's Tango," and more kitschily on Pink Martini's swellegant "Let's Never Stop Falling in Love." No, it's not perfect, but Mr. & Mrs. Smith ends up being more interesting and satisfying than your average summer blockbuster soundtrack, and manages the not so easy feat of appealing to music snobs as well as casual moviegoers/listeners. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide