Stylistic similarities between Rosewood and scores such as The Sugarland Express, Conrack, and The Missouri Breaks indicate that Williams doesn't just conjure the attitude in Rosewood from thin air, though the average weightiness of his music had vastly increased in the meantime, partially due to the composer's growth as a talent and the necessities of the story of Rosewood in particular. While on their surface, the rhythms and instrumentation of Rosewood may seem like a significant departure from Williams' usual styles (it didn't help Rosewood's cause that the Special Editions of the original Star Wars trilogy were being released into theatres at exactly the same time), it's easy to hear that the composer followed a very clear process that mirrors, most interestingly, Home Alone in structure. For Rosewood, Williams composes three gospel songs that serve the same purpose (and are integrated in exactly the same way) as his original carols in Home Alone. The first, "Look Down, Lord," is the piece of lament in the score, while the other two become more progressively optimistic and eventually triumphant in "The Freedom Train," which was unused in the picture but likely intended for the conclusion of the train escape sequence near the end of the story. The adult African American vocals in these songs, a far cry stylistically from what was to follow shortly in Williams' Amistad, extend to sections of the original score, sometimes leading the start of an orchestral cue. The score itself features two full, satisfying themes and one darker motif to represent the whites' attitudes. The main theme is performed by harmonica, fiddle, piano, guitar, and jaw harp, with a full orchestral ensemble available for the more beautiful (and standard) string renditions of Williams' Americana variants. A noble horn version of the theme reflects the main black character's veteran status and his efforts to bring Western-style order to the land, heard first in "The Arrival of Mann" and several times thereafter. The second major theme in Rosewood is for that character's love interest and is interspersed in soft woodwind interludes for their scenes together. The authenticity of the score's presentation of these themes is outstanding, mixing the standout solo instruments with an occasional sound effect of throaty exhales of voice and the expected rambling of timpani for moments of dread.

The often twangy, four-note motif that Williams uses to identify racism in general, and the impending danger that comes with it, offers a minor-key progression that mixes well with the blues of the surrounding music and is presented by the brass section in several cues. Relentless string chopping, with continuous jaw harp and fluttering woodwind performances over a violent acoustic guitar, represent the actual moments of violence. The overarching attitude of Williams' music has the same restrained pacing and outward respect as JFK, applying even some mournful brass solos of equivalent dignity. These moments culminate in "Sylvester Joins the Group" (senselessly named "Mann at Rosewood" on the initial album release), the score's deeply melodic cue of redemption that, when accelerating the primary theme for orchestra, begins to resemble Far and Away. It's easy to have respect for Rosewood in how it tackles its duties, for it accomplishes what it needs to do at Williams' normal standards of excellence. But like a handful of similarly rendered Williams works, Rosewood is not a readily enjoyable listening experience out of context, especially when attempting to appreciate the performances outside of those that feature the main Americana theme. The 50-minute presentation assembled by Williams for the original 1997 album release by Sony Classical contained the original songs and brief snippets of the source material but only provided about half of Williams' actual underscore. In 2013, La-La Land Records released a 2-CD set containing that original presentation on one CD but including the full 78 minutes of score on the other (without the gospel songs mixed in between). This proper arrangement of the material does yield several notable new moments, including the actual, full opening sequence of the score and other renditions of the melodic content. In many cues, however, the additional material is incidental. Even the newly offered performances of the love theme are somewhat mundane, supporting Williams' initial arrangement as a strong one. No matter which album for Rosewood you choose to explore, the score can be quite laborious unless you are prepared to share the remembrance of the events by getting caught in the emotional grip of the music's authentic tone. The gospel portions are definitely not for every listener, and their very forward vocals break the flow of the orchestral performances in many places on the original album presentation. This is an entry likely to be revisited only occasionally by even Williams' most ardent enthusiasts.  ***   @Amazon.com: CD or Download