Safe Haven (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Not since the 2006 film Once has a soundtrack exuded palpable romantic tension. Going into this project, the producers obviously knew that the only way to properly score an adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ novel of the same name would be with top-shelf artists performing songs apropos of the story’s emotionally intense plotlines. Fittingly, Colbie Caillat and Gavin DeGraw open with "We Both Know." Written and recorded exclusively for the soundtrack, this duet pulses with impassioned moments akin to those of Jennifer Warnes and Joe Cocker doing "Up Where We Belong" for the 1982 film An Officer and a Gentleman. Tristan Prettyman’s “Say Anything” extends the romantic tone with her hushed voice cooing over acoustic arpeggios, pitter-patter rhythms, and lazy slide guitar. “Keep Your Head Up” is an outstanding cut punctuated by Ben Howard’s charming English tenor. He balances introspective vulnerability with a near-anthemic chorus that musters strength with the honest apprehension of a shaking voice. Similarly, Gareth Dunlop exposes all the gritty textures of his weathered Irish timbre in the rootsy serenade “Wrap Your Arms Around Me.”