The ambiance of Fifty Shades Darker remains mostly familiar, Elfman retaining roughly the same performance ensemble from the prior entry. Guitars, keyboards, electric base, percussion, and strings are primary, with synthetic elements and female vocals offering occasional color. The tone of the work is still watery by intent, soft and dreamy in the majority of its cues. The suspense moments, from the tepid dissonance of "Bathroom Encounter" to the outright action of "Chopper Crash," are not where Elfman really earns his pay in Fifty Shades Darker. Rather, the most intriguing aspect of this score is its continued development and reassignment of thematic ideas from the first film, though don't always expect these attributions to make total sense. The rhythmic minor-third figures emerge once again as the backbone of the score, often conveyed by guitar in ways more subtle than the choppier strings of the previous score. The two themes for the leads are utilized heavily in this work, though the application of Ana's theme is oddly more nebulous. One gets the impression that Elfman's theme for her in the first score may not have been assigned to the character at all; instead, it may represent any woman who is submissive to (or lays claim to) Christian. His theme, meanwhile, gets the better workout in Fifty Shades Darker, from the "Nightmare" sequence at the beginning to its most important expression in "On His Knees" and its resolution at the end of "Dossiers." This rising, rhythmic trio of notes is easy counterpoint for Elfman to insert just about anywhere in the score, and it seemingly plays a bigger role than Ana'a theme in forming the personality of the love theme that usurps the main identity of the franchise and develops in this score to its main performance in "Announcement." Listeners expecting the more quirky Elfman thematic element receive its reprise in "Making it Real," along with "On His Knees," the score's memorable passages. You have to give credit to Elfman for keenly developing his themes throughout this score; they are almost omnipresent. But the reduced duties of the score in Fifty Shades Darker leave it with fewer outward highlights to appreciate outside of the larger narrative work. There are missed opportunities for true trilogy development in the score, the lack of an increasingly prevalent, ominous motif for Ana's boss a disappointment in setting up the next entry. Still, this score is a pleasant and smart continuation of ideas from its predecessor despite the clear spotting session limitations placed upon it.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download