YESTERDAY - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (2019)

Anything related to The Beatles can’t go that wrong. Not even if your leading man isn’t the most good looking dude, or in this case, the best singer around.

In Danny Boyle’s romantic comedy, Himesh Patel takes on a very important responsibility of performing renditions of The Fab Four’s classics. The 28 year old British actor kicks off this soundtrack album with “Yesterday”, a cue that incorporates dialogue from the film that sets the context: "What if no one remembered The Beatles except this guy?"

The rest of the 56 minute album plays out pleasantly, just like Patel’s on screen personality. Don’t expect powerhouse vocals, just agreeable tunes that you can sing along to. “Let It Be”, “Here Comes The Sun”, “All You Need is Love” and “Hey Jude” are songs that will leave you smiling.

Patel performs better on ballads (his emotions truly come through in the melancholic “The Long and Winding Road”), but has some room to sound gusto during edgier arrangements like “Help!” and “Back in the USSR”. His co star Lily James lends her voice to the merry “I Want to Hold Your Hand”, a track that we have been putting on repeat.

English composer Daniel Pemberton contributes a handful of music tracks which intersperse the songs. “The World is Universal” is a cheeky take on the Universal fanfare, “Strawberries” is aptly engaging despite its less than a minute duration, while “Life Goes On” concludes the album nicely.

This works like a Beatles “Best Of” compilation, and while it doesn’t feature the vocals of The Fab Four you love, it is a satisfying listening experience from beginning to end.  

ALBUM RATING:

Recommended Track: (20) I Want to Hold Your Hand

Review by John Li