Sound tracking

Movie soundtracks have become music to record companies’ ears. Once studios discovered that popular music from such artists as Simon and Garfunkel and the BeeGees could help sell a film, the lush orchestral scores that were the high-water mark of the ’50s all but disappeared. These days, soundtracks have become far more than promotional tools for hyping a movie. They are thriving independently of the films that spawn them to become a force on the album charts – with some even outliving their big screen brethren.

Pass the Syrup: Celine Dion Defends Her Smooth, Sweet Style

Candy-coated. Saccharine. Gaggingly syrupy. Celine Dion’s heard it all from critics who hate her music. “I’m used to getting some critics who like me and some who can’t stand me,” says the French-Canadian singer, who was sweet enough to call us from Quebec. “Thank goodness there are more people out there who like syrup.” Since 1990, when Dion released her first English-language album, “Unison,” Dion has won a loyal following of fans who fell in love with her smooth vocal delivery on such songs as “Where Does My Heart Beat Now?” After her duet with Peabo Bryson on the Grammy Award-winning “Beauty and the Beast” a couple of years ago, she became a bona fide star.