Wolf's Rain is a top-notch show, as far as production quality is concerned. The technical quality of the animation is first rate, and the acting in the show, both for the Japanese and English recordings, is excellent as well. To top it all off, the producers brought in Yoko Kanno, one of the highest-rated anime composers of all time, to create the soundtrack. The end result is an aural experience that elevates the show and makes it greater than it otherwise would be. Oh, and the official soundtrack album is pretty good, too.

Before I start about how wonderful this album is, however, let's cover the one negative aspect I noticed. The Wolf's Rain soundtrack falls prey to a weakness that I have unfortunately encountered before. Specifically, the album lacks some cohesiveness. Individually, almost every piece of music on this album is great. No efforts were spared in getting the best sounds, so full orchestras and real acoustic instruments are the order of the day. In fact, by looking at the liner notes, I can see that songs were recorded in Japan, the United States, Brazil, Poland, and Italy. I don't even want to know what that all costed. The best talent in the world, however, doesn't help if the individual tracks on the album just don't fit together. This problem is most evident in the middle of the album. Brazilian jazz segues to standard pop which segues to an Andean flute, and it just doesn't work that great. The rest of the album does work pretty well, but I found enough clashes in style to make me grimace a few times while listening to the album.

Now that I am done beating up the album for its one fault, I can discuss the good things about the album, which are the individual tracks. With the exception of a couple of the tracks which I don't care for due to personal taste, the tracks on this album are outstanding. The style varies from full orchestra to acoustic guitar with some light accompaniment, but the quality is consistently high. Being the sucker that I am for a well-executed string crescendo, I can't get enough of My Little Flower (track 12). I also very much like the two Steve Conte vocal tracks, Stray and Could You Bite the Hand? They are quite different, but both really capture the feel of the show. Speaking of vocal tracks, one thing that I have come to expect from Yoko Kanno, and not from other anime music composers, is her use of non-Japanese singers. In fact, none of the vocal tracks on this album are in Japanese. Many are in English, but one is in French (Valse de la Lune) and one is in Portuguese (Coração selvagem). This gives Ms. Kanno's soundtracks a more cosmopolitan feel, which makes them more approachable for a non-Japanese audience.

I should take this moment to point out that the two theme songs for the show, Stray (opening theme) and Gravity (closing theme) are two of the best theme songs I have ever heard. Both were written specifically for this show, and they fit things perfectly, with lyrics that are directly relevant to the overall story line. Stray shows the energy and vivacity that the wolves have, while Gravity perfectly communicates the emotional weight that the wolves, and especially Kiba, carry with them as they search for paradise. Even better, these songs stand on their own wonderfully, especially Stray, which could likely be a top 40 hit on pop radio if someone decided to push it that direction.

This focus on the vocal tracks isn't because the instrumental tracks are poor, however. As noted above, they are excellent. One thing I have always appreciated about Ms. Kanno's soundtracks is the fact that she never commits the typical anime soundtrack sin of using weird keyboard sounds to sound "cute." Nothing annoys me faster than bizarre, squeaking synth sounds. This album continues Yoko Kanno's trend of using real instruments to their maximum effect, and all of the instrumental tracks are serious pieces of music in their own right. Standouts include Requiem, Pilgrim Snow, the aforementioned My Little Flower, and Silver River. I could personally do without Visions of a Flame, but that's just me. Maybe strange grunting noises are your thing.

Bottom line, Yoko Kanno has done it again. The Wolf's Rain soundtrack stands up as some of her best work, and this album makes a great addition to the anime fan's collection, whether or not you are a big fan of the show. This album is highly recommended.