Call it a blend of jazz and Detroit funk, plus a lot of wit, but the sound of TNT’s Leverage is the most refreshing for a TV series in years, and its success lies in the use of small instrumental combos, fat bass, brass, drums, and gliding keyboards.
Going back to his jazz roots, Joseph LoDuca’s signature theme is built around a grooving rhythm that just keeps spiraling up and down, and is mostly played on an electric bass that’s placed up front and personal with listeners.
The main theme is given a satisfying suite in “An Honest Man,” where there’s a clear progression of dramatic ideas that also cover Nate / Nathan’s management of his associates, as he navigates them through various dangerous capers and petty team conflicts. The changes in instrumentation give the suite some diversity, but the variations also illustrate the group’s working order as they test, tease, support, and play pranks with each other during the course of an elaborate con.
There are moody variations, mostly dominated by keyboards (“The Team”), or an orchestral / jazz combo version with woodwinds, vibes, and a handul of strings (“Inside Job”) that evoke Lalo Schifrin’s own signature caper music from series such as Mission: Impossible. LoDuca's approach is to keep playing with tonal density, either going light with flutes and brass, or thickening the resonance of bass and percussion, with slight digital processing.
Muted trumpet echoes dominate the exotic “Zagreb,” and the cue also introduces LoDuca’s favourite rhythmic pattern (a 3- and 4-note motif on woody marimba) which is one of the show’s signature suspense themes when a member tails a mark, or the team is breaking into a location, and wiggling out of near-misses with guards and goons.
Woody percussion is also an important element of the score’s wonderfully rich rhythmic tapestry, and part of the diverse instrumentation sometimes seems to have been inspired by each team member's persona, such as the lithe grifter Sophie Devereaux, who assumes various roles for each con. Playing a South Asian investment bully, LoDuca goes for a lilting exotic harmony, as well as the undulating resonance of Indian drums in “Mumbai International.”. “Magical Soil” is a more dreamy variation, with lurid alto sax, harp, and resonating string bass.
“What I Do” is the combat music for ‘The Hitter’ (Elliot), the con team’s enforcer who dislikes guns, and uses his own agility and muscle density to deflect, absorb, and mete out pain. LoDuca’s approach stays light, though, and that’s one of the reasons the shows music, much like caper scores in general, is so effective: the atmosphere is fun, and if one loses a battle, humility is often punctuated with a bit of self-deprecating wit (or a smart-ass jab from a less-sympathetic team member).
Shades of Elvis are present in the bass rhyme of “Viva Vegas,” as well as a grandiose use of keyboards, with a covert nod to Nick Cave's cult song "Red Right Hand." There's a lot of swagger and posturing from the musicians, and sublime coolness dribbles from “On the Con,” with bass sounds and fuzzy keyboards, and much like the Indian drums, LoDuca flexes the density of electric tones.
Keyboards also figure in “Losing Underpants,” which is a signature resolution cue as things are wrapped up, as well as a closing track prior to an ad break when someone’s about to be caught or is trapped in a corner where there seems little way to escape. The brief improv on upper keyboards also conveys a sense of ridiculousness that’s heightened by low, brassy flares, taunting tonal waves on trumpet (a la Christopher Komeda), and a sudden rush of a full rock drum combo.
LoDuca also creates a collage of Kodo drums and tinny kitchen sounds in “Rattlin Pots and Pans” which culminates with shrill electronic tones, and there's thickening metal and wood percussion in the eerie “Tank Fight.” There’s also a trio of Irish folk-styled cues: the pub-rock “Wanna Bet,” the lovely farewellish “Metamora,” and its fiddle variation “All My Decembers,” where LoDuca revisits the organic sounds and intimate melodies central to his feature film score Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001).
Lest the album be geared towards just the breezy fun stuff, there are also a few small orchestral cues like “Nate Comes Clean” and “Nate Gives Himself Up” that reflect the show’s insistence on building stories around Nate’s ongoing issues with booze, self-loathing, a failed marriage, the insurance company responsible for his son’s death, and the confusion in realizing one of his team members shares a 15 year interest that’s goes beyond professional respect and friendship.
The album has thematic and stylistic balance – even with the punk Irish source cue “Can’t Go Home Again” - but there’s a noticeable shift from giddy funk towards emotional pain, and then a slow return to lighter terrain, albeit with more dramatically edgy suspense cues, the Irish flavoured cuts, and the closing vocal track “Not Sure Yet.”
La-La Land’s CD is nicely engineered and sequenced, and the 12-page booklet comes with notes by the composer, and some of the show’s creative executive team.
Once Season 3 completes its run, fans will expect a follow up album of the same caliber…
For an interview with composer Joseph LoDuca, click HERE.
© 2010 Mark R. Hasan
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