All-star film soundtracks are opportunities to showboat, and executive producer Jay-Z takes full advantage of this. Aside from rifling through his contacts book, he also pivots it as "a Gatsby for the hip-hop age", though you wonder how to square this aim with some of the cast, such as The xx and their somnolent, slo-mo minimalism. Leaving the concept to one side, several cuts work beyond the soundtrack constraints. Jigga's own 100$ Bill is a solid meditation on the ups and downs of power; André 3000 and Beyoncé pitch down for a version of Amy Winehouse's Back to Black ; and Jack White's take on U2's Love Is Blindness revs the angst right up. Meanwhile, Lana Del Rey's Young & Beautiful reminds you of her prowess when it comes to highlighting big-screen ballads.
thegreatgatsby.warnerbros.com
Download: Jay-Z, 100$ Bill ; Lana Del Rey, Young & Beautiful