Sony Classical and Sony Masterworks today release the Original Score and Original Soundtrack albums from writer/director/producer Ryan Coogler’s new film SINNERS, with music and production by Oscar-winning composer LUDWIG GÖRANSSON. A thrilling, genre-bending original concept set in the Mississippi Delta of 1932, Sinners marks the fifth feature film partnership between Göransson and Coogler, their deeply collaborative and research-intensive creative process giving rise to two distinct and complex musical narratives from the composer. In addition to crafting an Original Score, Göransson produces an Original Soundtrack alongside Coogler and Serena Göransson featuring songs performed within and inspired by the film with features from Rod Wave, James Blake, Don Toliver, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Howard, Raphael Saadiq, Buddy Guy, Rhiannon Giddens, Cedric Burnside and more.
Having previously collaborated on Coogler’s blockbuster franchises Black Panther and Creed, Göransson describes the experience of scoring Sinners as “the most personal of his career.” Key to Coogler’s overall vision was the notion of exploring the film’s themes through the blues, not only as a musical tradition but as a distinct culture as well, prompting Göransson to begin his creative process with a trip to the Deep South to experience its birthplace firsthand. The attention to authenticity permeates throughout Göransson’s musical involvement, the heart of which is a 1932 Dobro resonator guitar that provides a distinct throughline across both the score and soundtrack albums.
Göransson began scoring in earnest after principal photography and often live on-set, his immersion and interactions with the cast and crew deeply influencing his creative process, which was further aided by Coogler’s casting of actual musicians in roles that featured onscreen performances. One of the main voices across both the score and soundtrack is Miles Caton, the largely unknown 19-year-old performing throughout the film as prodigy blues guitarist Young Sammie, aka Preacher Boy. In addition to providing vocal improvisations across three of Göransson’s score instrumentals, Caton features across six original vocal songs on the soundtrack, including “I Lied To You,” a collaboration between Göransson and Grammy Award-winning songwriter Raphael Saddiq. Written as a tribute to the rich musical and cultural traditions that shaped the blues, the track features as one of the film’s key performances by Caton.
In addition to songs performed within the film by actors and musicians Lola Kirke, Peter Dreimanis, Jack O’Connell, Jayme Lawson and blues legend Buddy Guy, the soundtrack album boasts contributions from musicians across genres and generations. Sinners star Hailee Steinfeld makes her return to music after a two-year hiatus on “Dangerous,” an uptempo pop anthem that blends pulsating rhythms with Göransson’s blues-tinged instrumentals. Interpolating Göransson’s original theme for Steinfeld’s onscreen character Mary, the track features lyrics written by Steinfeld and Sarah Aarons and tells the story of Mary’s deep romantic yearning. Meanwhile, multiplatinum Rap/R&B powerhouse Rod Wave delivers the album’s lead single “Sinners,” written on the request of Coogler himself and debuting alongside a music video directed by the Coogler Brothers (Ryan Coogler, Noah Coogler & Keegan Coogler). Don Toliver performs “Flames of Fortune,” his vocals underlaid by plucked guitars and punctuated by a searing harmonica melody, while James Blake features on “Séance,” his gently aching vocals slowly building into a crescendo of orchestrations and synthwork. Elsewhere, Brittany Howard delivers a scorching rendition of “Pale, Pale Moon,” originally performed in the film by Jayme Lawson, while Rhiannon Giddens reunites with longtime collaborator Justin Robinson on the banjo and strings barnburner “Old Corn Liquor.”
“I never imagined I’d score a film about a guitar player — it hits close to home,” said Göransson. “My dad, a guitar teacher at the local school and a die-hard blues fanatic, put a guitar in my hands when I was six. If it were up to him, I’d be named Albert for Albert King, the legendary guitarist. The score I composed for Sinners is the most personal of my career. It’s a reflection of my own musical journey, told through the voice of the instrument that means the most to me. I perform it on a 1932 Dobro Cyclops resonator—the very same guitar that Preacherboy Sammie carries throughout the film.
I grew up with this music in my ear — but as I spent time in the Delta, digging into the roots of the blues and the people who shaped it, I realized I’d only been scratching the surface. The fingerprints of the blues are present in virtually all popular music that has existed since, and we wanted the music of Sinners to reflect that. Beyond feeling raw and lived in, we wanted it to be firmly rooted in its true origin story. We weren’t aiming for nostalgia; we wanted it to feel immediate. Much of the music was written and recorded on set during the shoot, with the cast and crew working alongside us. That process gave the film a sound that’s connected to the past, alive in the moment. This is the music story of Sinners.”
SCORE TRACKLISTING –
1. Filídh, Firekeepers and Griots
2. Smokestack Twins
3. Grace, Bo and Lil’ Lisa
4. (Delta) Slim’s Patch
5. Clarksdale Love
6. Why You Here / Before the Sun Went Down, feat. Miles Caton
7. Not What He Seems / Sé Abú
8. Magic What We Do (Surreal Montage), feat. Miles Caton
9. Mount Bayou / Proper Black Folks, feat. Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
10. She Said, “We?”
11. Playin’ Games, Tellin’ Ghost Stories
12. Hole Up ‘Til Sunrise
13. Together Forever
14. Thy Kingdom Come
15. Bury That Guitar, feat. Lars Ulrich
16. Grand Closin’, feat. Eric Gales
17. Elijah, feat. Eric Gales
18. I’ve Seen Enough of This Place
19. Free For A Day, feat. Miles Caton