Ugly Truth [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack]

Composer: Aaron Zigman.
Personnel: Mateo Laboriel (guitar, programming); Michael Stern, Tim Pierce, George Doering (guitar); Paul Bushnell (guitars); Jo Ann Turovsky (harp); Joel Pargman, Eun Mee Ahn, Alyssa Park, Serena McKinney, Al Hershberger, Miran Kojian, Irina Voloshina, Songa Lee, Katia Popov, Alan Grunfeld, Henry Gronnier, Helen Nightengale, Ken Yerke, Grace Oh, Nina Evtuhov, Tiffany Yi Hu, Phillip Levy , Ishani Bhoola, Marc Sazer, Mario de León, Sara Parkins, Yelena Yegoryan, Jay Rosen, Jacqueline Brand , Bruce Dukov, Natalie Leggett, Sarah Thornblade, Shalini Vijayan, Roger Wilkie, Marina Manukian, Josefina Vergara, Dimitrie Leivici (violin); Peter Jandula-Hudson, Thomas Diener, Michael Nowak , Matthew Funes , Steven Gordon, Cassandra Lynne Richberg, Brian Dembow, Keith Greene, Dave Walther , Darrin McCann, Andrew Duckles, Robert Berg (viola); Paula Hochhalter, Christina Soule, Dennis Karmazyn, Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick, Paul Cohen , Kim Scholes , Andrew Shulman , Antony Cooke , Stephen Erdody , Armen Ksadjikian, Cecilia Tsan (cello); Susan Greenberg (flute, double bass); Geri Rotella (flute); Dan Higgins , Phillip O'Connor (clarinet); Phil Ayling (oboe); Michael O'Donovan, Judith Farmer (bassoon); Gary Grant, Jerry Hey (trumpet); Brian O'Connor , Richard Todd , Brad Warnaar (French horn); Drew Dembowski, Bruce Morgenthaler, Nico Abondolo, Oscar Hidalgo, Edward Meares, Michael Valerio (double bass); Gregg Bissonette (percussion); Jessie Voccia (programming).
Programmers: Mateo Laboriel; Jessie Voccia.
Audio Mixers: Michael Stern; Dennis Sands.
Ensemble: Hollywood Symphony Orchestra.
Arrangers: Mateo Laboriel; Dan Higgins ; Patrick Kirst; Aaron Zigman; Jerry Hey; Paul Bushnell ; Brad Warnaar.
Fearlessly mixing his metaphors, composer Aaron Zigman writes of The Ugly Truth, "I feel that in this romantic comedy I was able to spread my wings and step outside the box a bit...." Cut through those clichés, and it seems that Zigman, already represented in movie theaters in the same period with My Sister's Keeper and The Proposal, wanted to try something a little different in his music for director Robert Luketic's film about the contentious and eventually romantic encounter between a TV morning show producer and "a hardcore TV personality" (that's what it says in the press release). Not unreasonably, Zigman seems to have chosen the tango as his musical response to the plot, and starting with "Flick the Bean" and "Abby Calls Colin," the first two cues, he does just that, making use of short, sprightly, rhythmic motifs that have a distinctly Henry Mancini-like quality to them. Sometimes castanets and other percussion instruments add spice; sometimes Zigman turns to a wah-wah electric guitar for a light funk feel. There are lots of cues here -- 35 in 38 minutes -- so nothing goes on very long. But the overall sense of sly fun remains constant. Whether or not Zigman's wings are still in his box, he seems to have come up with an appropriate score for a summer comedy. ~ William Ruhlmann