Devil's Advocate

Soundtrack / Score · 1997 · 26 tracks

Devil's Advocate

James Newton Howard

A sophisticated blend of baroque elegance and modern dread. Lush orchestral arrangements meet chilling choral peaks to evoke high-stakes urban gothic suspense.

October 28, 1997 · TVT Records

Devil's Advocate is a masterclass in sonic duality, perfectly capturing the slick, high-stakes world of New York litigation and the ancient, creeping dread of the supernatural. James Newton Howard balances these two worlds with surgical precision. On one hand, you have the cold, intellectual clarity of solo piano and refined string sections that mirror the vanity of the legal profession. On the other, the score descends into a hellish landscape of bombastic choral arrangements and aggressive brass that feel genuinely apocalyptic. It is a soundtrack that feels both expensive and cursed.

Tracklist · 26 Tracks

01

“Vanity”

0:16

02

Main Title

1:04

03

New York

0:52

04

Milton

0:59

05

Rendevous

3:41

06

Lovemaking

3:34

07

Christabella

1:10

08

Apartment Building

0:49

09

Barzoon

2:39

10

Montage

1:02

11

Geddes / Weaver

4:06

12

Baby

1:57

13

Finish the Story

2:02

14

Time

2:00

15

Cullen Gets Off

2:50

16

Suicide

2:10

17

Can’t Have Children

0:58

18

Baka

1:22

19

57th Street

2:05

20

Air on the G String

4:31

21

Church

2:36

22

I Rest My Case

2:22

23

Fire

1:29

24

Ring

1:01

25

“Surprise”

0:30

26

“Finale”

1:46

Moments Worth Listening For

The transition from the delicate, Bach-inspired piano opening to the sudden, jarring orchestral stabs in the main title.

The haunting use of a high-register soprano voice that floats over the dense, low-end brass during the climax.

The way the strings mimic a frantic, spiraling descent during the film's legal revelation scenes.

Reviews

AllMusic

Where This Album Departs

How does Devil's Advocate sound next to the rest of James Newton Howard's catalogue?

Spirituality+3.1σ

The writing leans far further into spirituality than the rest of the catalogue.

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