Randy Edelman

The original score for the movie The Mask was completely composed by Randy Edelman and performed in entirety by the Irish Film Orchestra. It should be noted that this is not the original soundtrack; if you're looking for a Jim Carrey rendition of "Cuban Pete," you're at the wrong album. This is fully instrumental movie background music, which explains the incessant brevity of the tracks. In truth, half of the tracks on the album hold a slow, dreamy quality to them, something like a Cirque du Soleil musical number, with the full carnival effect. This works unusually well for this album, as The Mask is something of a living carnival to begin with, and the music should fit as such. At its best, Edelman was able to make the album sound uncannily similar to John Williams' Jurassic Park works, especially in tracks such as "Opening - The Origin of the Mask." At its worst, it can be merely dream-induced carnival music, complete with unnecessary drama. ~ Adam Greenberg, All Music Guide