Spaghetti Westerns the inspiration for Danger Mouse CD

Danger Mouse's new collaboration with Daniele Luppi also ropes in Jack White and Norah Jones on a spaghetti western-themed album.

Rome

Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi

(EMI)

****

Brian Burton is a man who can seemingly do no wrong. Having made his name as Danger Mouse, cemented his legacy as one half of Gnarls Barkley and added to his address book with producing credits for the likes of Gorillaz, Beck and The Black Keys, the current Grammy-winning Producer of the Year puts his mouse mask back on for a completely different sound: the spaghetti Western. To aid him in this end he's lassoed Jack White and Norah Jones, together with Daniele Luppi, an Italian composer who shares Burton's long-time love of Sergio Leone and the eerie, iconic sounds of Ennio Morricone. Five years in the making, Rome began as a bonding session between Burton and Luppi over the soundtracks of the era of A Fistful of Dollars and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Wanting to create their own version using the same musicians, they headed to Rome to begin the instrumental sessions. The result is a slick, intricate affair, effortlessly blending twangy guitars and sweeping strings into a rich, desert-worthy soundscape. Jones and White join the proceedings for three tracks each, their distinct vocals helping create an album beyond just an instrumental soundtrack. Jones's slow, haunting voice perfectly accompanies Season's Trees' violins, while the rumbling plucked guitar strings of the single Two Against One match White's raw growls. Despite its guest stars, Rome probably isn't "pop" enough to cause as much chart interference as Burton's previous releases. But he's unlikely to mind. After all, his next major project is as the producer of U2's forthcoming album.