The ingredients in the music for A Perfect Murder include a standard orchestral ensemble, common synthetic ambient effects, a few contemporary elements such as bass and guitar, and the solo voice of Lisbeth Scott. The latter two elements factor in less than half of the cues for the score, mostly concentrated on album in the first three tracks. The guitar and bass provide Howard's only slightly abrasive modern infusion in "Ever Been to Be to Belize?" (track title screw-up there) and "That's No Happiness to See Me," somewhat heavy percussive loops and dull thumping sounds periodically reminding of Howard's music for the "E.R." television series. The Scott performances are the score's highlight, her voice offering one of the few accessibly harmonic tones despite seemingly being digitally manipulated to give her a chilly distance. That voice may represent the wife's character in some fashion. For the attack sequences, Howard chooses the tried and tested method of thrashing about with timpani and piano stingers, owing a bit to Jerry Goldsmith's L.A. Confidential when they form cohesive rhythmic phrases as in "He's in the Kitchen." In the latter half of A Perfect Murder, Howard seemingly recalls his own work for The Fugitive, the droning bass string and clicking percussion techniques of sparse ambience returning for long, dull periods. In the lengthy "Can You Ever Forgive Me?," however, he finally offers development for the score's primary descending theme, voiced without much sincerity by an oboe. Late in that cue, Howard's standard horn techniques for brazen solitude make an appearance for a moment of gravitational pull. The oboe and slightly warmer strings return with piano in "What Happens If...?," wrapping up the primary theme in tepid fashion. With the theme barely registering in volume and memorability despite several statements, the dreamy vocal tones of "Main Title" end up being the only lasting highlight. This cue also touches upon a vague ethnic tilt to parts of the score (similar, maybe coincidentally, to James Horner's groaning bass effects from the insufferable Jade) while merging the depth of the orchestra with the best of Howard's percussive and electronic applications. Ultimately, however, A Perfect Murder is the type of score that really serves little purpose on album. Its 30 minutes of running time is largely redundant and recycles techniques explored by Howard in far more interesting circumstances elsewhere. Just as there is very little likable character to the film's plot, the score struggles to engage the listener for longer than just a few minutes.  **   @Amazon.com: CD or Download