'The Book of Life' tells the legend of Manolo, a conflicted hero and dreamer who sets off on an epic quest through magical, mythical and wondrous worlds in order to reunite with his one true love and defend his village.

On this delightful original motion picture soundtrack, composer Gustavo Santaolla has ensured that all 18 tracks embrace a happy, joyous atmosphere (primarily) and that means that you, the listener (and viewer, of course) will be treated to a musical feast, believe me.

Between fast-paced, lively songs there are some quieter moments though. Emotionally orchestrated, Santaolla worked with Paul Williams on such tracks as both 'The Apology Song' and 'I Love You Too Much.' Whereas, the aforementioned upbeat tracks strongly feature the guitar and a Mexican beat.

The soundtrack also includes all-time favorites that every listner will recognize. The well-known Mexican melody, 'Cielito Lindo' also showcases the voice of the great tenor, Placido Domingo. The evergreen, 'Can't Help Falling In Love With You,' sung here by actor Diego Luna, was (of course) first performed by Elvis Presley in 1961.

That said, Luna appears on quite a few songs, with some of the best highlighting his voice being both, 'Te Amo y Mas' and 'Si Puedes Perdonar.' The Mexican actor is also the voice of lead character Manalo in the film, uses his tender vocals to their utmost degree of length and breadth.

Reviewed by: Russell A. Trunk