Various Artists: Music From The Motion Picture De-Lovely

Featuring contemporary singers, De-Lovely honors the music that Cole Porter handed down to us many years ago. These are the songs that remain in your ear for days and months. Don't think that you'll come away from the movie theater with a clear head and steel emotions. Your head will be hearing the music from this film for a long time. "Night and Day" or "Just One of Those Things" will stay with you until you've managed to "overwrite" them in your memory.

This film is all about the music. It's a love story and a musical. Each song is portrayed with a hypothetical origin, based on the various love relationships in Porter's life. "Anything Goes" appears to have come from the composer's eccentric societal values. The song's title, although it was written for commercial use, makes significant value judgment available to us, in describing Porter's attitude about life and loving.

Diana Krall's cameo with "Just One of Those Things" stands apart for its luscious instrumental accompaniment. Vivian Green's "Love For Sale" reaches in and tugs at your heart. Near the end of the story, Natalie Cole's "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" lends a somber tone, and you find yourself hoping that the film won't end like that. It doesn't.

Alanis Morissette has a cameo with "Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)." Elvis Costello sings "Let's Misbehave" in one brief scene, and Sheryl Crow cameos elsewhere with "Begin the Beguine." Their presence alone makes the soundtrack breathe, but there's much more. Most of the actors who sing are also fairly good singers. Kevin Kline, as Cole Porter, sings the way we imagine he would. As the closing credits roll, we're offered an authentic sample of Porter's singing, as he interprets "You're the Top."

Columbia's Music From The Motion Picture De-Lovely preserves our memory of the story. Cole Porter's music, after all, carries with it a treasure trove of wealth for all jazz lovers.