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**La La Land (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)**
★★★★☆

In an era when movie musicals had become as rare as vinyl records in a Spotify world, Damien Chazelle's "La La Land" arrived like a tap-dancing time machine, whisking audiences back to the golden age of Hollywood while keeping one foot firmly planted in contemporary Los Angeles. The soundtrack, a shimmering love letter to both jazz and the dreams that fuel the City of Angels, stands as perhaps the most successful marriage of old-school musical theater sensibilities and modern filmmaking since "Chicago" took home the Oscar nearly two decades ago.

The album's genesis traces back to Chazelle's obsession with classic Hollywood musicals and his deep reverence for jazz, themes he'd already explored in his breakout film "Whiplash." But where that earlier work was all sweat and blood-splattered cymbals, "La La Land" finds the director in a more romantic mood, crafting a sonic landscape that feels both nostalgic and immediate. Composer Justin Hurwitz, Chazelle's collaborator since their Harvard days, delivers a score that channels everything from "Singin' in the Rain" to "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg," while jazz consultants like pianist Randy Kerber ensure the music's authenticity never wavers.

The musical DNA here is pure Golden Age Hollywood, filtered through a contemporary lens that never feels forced or pastiche. Hurwitz's compositions blend traditional jazz harmonies with lush orchestral arrangements that would make Henry Mancini weep with joy. The songs breathe with the kind of melodic sophistication that's become increasingly rare in modern film scoring, where bombast often substitutes for genuine emotion.

"City of Stars," the album's crown jewel and eventual Oscar winner for Best Original Song, captures the entire film's bittersweet essence in under four minutes. Ryan Gosling's deliberately amateur vocals – a choice that initially raised eyebrows but ultimately proves inspired – lend the song an intimate vulnerability that a more polished performance might have lost. The melody is deceptively simple, the kind that burrows into your brain and refuses to leave, while the lyrics perfectly encapsulate the hope and heartbreak of chasing dreams in Los Angeles.

"Another Day of Sun," the album's explosive opening number, announces the film's ambitious intentions from its first brass blast. It's a traffic jam transformed into a Broadway showstopper, complete with choreography that spans multiple freeway lanes. The song's relentless optimism and infectious energy set the tone for everything that follows, while showcasing Hurwitz's ability to write music that serves both narrative and pure entertainment.

The jazz sequences, particularly "Summer Montage/Madeline" and the various iterations of Sebastian's theme, reveal the soundtrack's most sophisticated musical thinking. These aren't just pretty melodies slapped over romantic imagery; they're carefully constructed pieces that demonstrate real understanding of jazz harmony and improvisation. When Gosling's Sebastian sits at the piano, the music that emerges feels authentically rooted in the tradition he's supposedly fighting to preserve.

Emma Stone's vocal contributions, while limited, prove surprisingly effective. Her performance on "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)" provides the film's emotional climax, and her slightly fragile voice serves the material perfectly. Like Gosling, Stone's technical limitations become strengths, making her character's vulnerability feel genuine rather than performed.

The orchestral cues, from "Mia & Sebastian's Theme" to "Epilogue," showcase Hurwitz's skills as a pure composer beyond the songs. These pieces carry the film's emotional weight during its non-singing moments, weaving the main themes through various moods and orchestrations with the kind of sophistication that recalls the great film composers of Hollywood's golden era.

Five years after its release, the "La La Land" soundtrack has achieved something remarkable: it's made the movie musical feel viable again. The album topped charts worldwide, spawned countless cover versions, and introduced a new generation to the idea that original movie songs could be both critically acclaimed and commercially successful. Its success paved the way for other musical films and reminded the industry that audiences still hunger for melody and genuine emotion in their entertainment.

While some critics initially dismissed the soundtrack as overly nostalgic, time has proven its lasting appeal. These songs have transcended their cinematic origins to become genuine standards, the kind of music that will likely soundtrack amateur performances and jazz club sets for decades to come. In reviving the movie musical, "La La Land" reminded us why the form existed in the