Last night, the world was granted a tour of the universe in the new series “Cosmos: A Space Time Odyssey.” Hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson, this series picks up where the late Dr. Carl Sagan’s program “Cosmos: A Personal Voyage” left off. This thirteen episode series is a marvelous glance into the beginning of the universe and the soundtrack, composed by Alan Silvestri, is just as fascinating. This soundtrack, as amazing as it is, has some highlights and lowlights. Let’s take a look at what makes and breaks this soundtrack.

Most soundtracks have one or two songs that don’t quite match the theme of the movie or show, but these songs are the ideal audio companions for “Cosmos.” “Giordano Bruno” and “Star Stuff,” for example, are the kinds of songs you would listen to with your eyes closed. They are not too loud, not too soft, but just the right volume. One thing I loved about this soundtrack was that I could visualize the solar system and a sky filled with millions of stars. You will be interested in learning about the universe after listening to these tracks.

As wondrous and mind-blowing as this soundtrack is, it sounds as though several tracks —“Cosmos (Main Title)” for instance—were replicated from various science fiction film and television series (such as “Star Wars” and “Star Trek”). While many of our favorite science fiction films have the most outstanding scores and soundtracks, those soundtracks are outstanding because they have their own sound and do not resemble a previously recorded track. With such strong similarities, it would be easy for the listener to become confused as to which soundtrack they are actually listening to.

Having seen last night’s premiere of “Cosmos: A Space Time Adventure”—as well as its encore—I can say for certain that the soundtrack perfectly matches the theme of the series. With the exception of a few songs, this is musical artwork at its absolute finest. This is a soundtrack that fans will absolutely love, if they can get past the soundtrack’s similarities to the scores of earlier films.

Final Grade: B

About The Author

Lauren Beverly

Music Reviewer

I love to write and have been doing so since the age of eight. Fictional stories have always been a favorite of mine, because it gives me a chance to be creative and to express myself in a multitude of ways. On more than one occasion, a song proved to be the inspiration to several stories I have written. Believe it or not, some of those songs were on soundtracks! That’s mostly what I listen to, aside from hits from the 1950’s up to the 1980’s. I’ve learned that anything can be the inspiration to a story, even a poster from the 1990’s or a DVD cover.

I’ve lived in Upper Marlboro all of my life and spent much of my childhood watching cartoons of all kinds, and listening to my older sister’s cassette tapes. Growing up, I listened to everything Jackson related, Paula Abdul, Elton John, and even the controversial group Milli Vanilli. As a teenager, I continued to listen to old-school hits and that was pretty much all I liked, aside from listening to all of Michael Jackson’s music. To this day, I still love old-school hits. That hasn’t changed.

I own a variety of CDs from artists such as Styx, The BeeGees, Michael Jackson, Queen, The Yellow Submarine Soundtrack, and many others. When a soundtrack comes out, there will always be one specific song from that album that I’ll love. It never fails.

I’ve graduated from Bowie State University in December 2013 with a B.A. degree in English.

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