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Black Scorpion was a 22-episode caper series that attained somewhat of a cult status on the Sci Fi Channel in 2001, following the success of two TV movies. It tells the story of Detective Darcy Walker, who, after having been kicked off the police force, dons a mask to revenge the killing of her father. Dressed in enough black leather to make a sado-machosist salivate, she eventually expands her mission to kick criminal ass on a weekly basis. David G. Russell's score for the series is an overly electronic affair, performed on a hitech synth by Russell himself. This album presents brief musical highlights from most of the episodes. The opening theme is an eerie, downbeat tune performed by brooding sampled strings and xylophone that suddenly gives way to a percussive action-beat with rapid-fire string chords. The thumping semi-techno beat resurfaces in several tracks (such as "Call me Firearm", "The Heist" or "To Be A Hero"), often complimented by wailing electric guitar, numerous sampled loops and cymbal crashes. There's also more subdued moments, like the ambient-like piano/trumpet love theme in track 3. The selection from "No Stone Unturned" (track 6) is sinister mood-music with the occasional harp and low strings. Green Thumb, an apparent arch enemy, gets his own theme in track 9 - a whimsical, almost gypsie-like tune a la Danny Elfman with sporadical brass outbursts. A solemn chorus/worldless female vocal pops ups in the selection from "Kiss of Death" - a minor-moded, almost religious atmosphere. "For You" is a soft jazz tune on piano and double bass that conjures up images of nocturnal activities in the city. If I have to put the finger on something, it's that there are a bit too many electronic cymbal crashes that become overly intrusive when they suddenly pop up in a lovely melody or harmony. Furthermore, one can sense that the music screams for an orchestral idiom in some instances. But overall, this is impressive TV music, and one cannot help but be mesmerized by the funky loops and complex layers of sampled instruments. The album also includes Kevin Kiner's score to the first Black Scorpion film. Kiner, known as a protege of David Arnold, serves a somewhat different approach than Russell. Several funky and percussive bits, like "Adult Darcy", "Kung Fu Gang" or "Wrestler Rematch", but overall a haunting and downbeat soundscape to mirror the protagonist's haunted soul. A couple of the melodies seem a bit underdefined and directionless, but then there's also something like the lovely "Making Love/Stung" to make up for that. Obviously, both of these scores are TV scores that are produced with limited resources. So some of the tracks are inevitably electronic music that "tries to be" symphonic. But on the other hand, both of them incorporate synthetic samples and rhythms that resonate neatly within the "synthetic leather and whip" atmosphere of the series and film, and is utterly pleasing in that regard. Both scores display talent and are worth checking out.
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