After the success of the multi-million selling Grand Theft Auto franchise and 2010s Red Dead Redemption, the prospect of another game from the New York City-based publisher was enough to set expectations very high for L.A.

Noire. Adding to the excitement was the fact that the game had been in development for a staggering seven years, with reportedly revolutionary motion capture technology deployed to bring the games story to live and close the gap between games and movies a bit further.

Tapping into the rich iconography of film noir movies of the 1940s and 1950s, L.A.

Noire seemed to fulfil heightened expectations when it was selected to be the first video game screened in competition at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival.

And finally, outstanding reviews and the strongest first week sales among early 2011 video game releases marked L.A.

Noire as one of the years biggest titles.

This being a Rockstar Game sandbox title, that job would mostly be handled by a swash of songs, on L.

A. Noire by jazz greats like Billie Holliday, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan.

The task of emulating the music of film noir composers like Max Steiner and Bernard Herrmann fell to Andrew Hale, songwriter and keyboardist for the band Sade, and composer of the scores of the movies The Getaway and Scott Pilgrim Vs.

The World. His score for L.A.

Noire was released as a digital-only release in May 2011.

But Hale manages to wring quite a bit of variation out of the template hes working with and he mixes orchestral and Jazz elements into an effortlessly stylish cocktail.

Firstly, theres of course the slow Jazz songs that the albums cover art promises.

One of these songs, Main Theme, not only gets to open the album, but it also introduces L.A.

Noire s main theme, a longing, lingering four-note motif on solo trumpet that evokes all the urban world-weariness any self-respecting film noir protagonist has to exhibit.

Later, a saxophone joins the trumpet and both put the main theme through a number of variations while retaining the songs warm, yet aching feeling.

The band backing the solo instruments performs in that measured, luxurious groove that you would expect, but their contributions never descend into mere lounge atmospherics, due to Hales sense of style and some intricacies like the syncopated, brushed drum rhythms.

Later, similar pieces like Minor 9 and Noire Clarinet retain the solo trumpetsaxophone backed by Jazz band-formula, pulled off with just as much elegance as on Main Theme.

But Brckens voice is suitably expressive, if a little bit light in its higher registers.

And her emphatic, expert phrasing of her vocal lines easily carries the songs, milking them for every drop of emotion without going overboard.

I Always Kill) The Things I Love is slightly bland, but still atmospheric, while Guilty and Torched Song come off better.

The first song is a fun attempt at retro sass, with some playful lyrics (I dont need no bail if youre the jail.

Just give me life and grant me no relief.) and Brckens flirtatious vocals that are supported by gently upbeat double bass and drums.

Best and downright sexiest of all three cues is Torched Song, which most impressively shows off Brckens vocal chops.

And its this more overtly emotionally charged music that, to many listeners, will mark the most accessible cues on L.A.

Noire. Lush string sounds form the most important component of these more romantically-inclined strains.

In their chord progressions and harmonies deployed to be reminiscent of tastefully melodramatic 1940s movie scores, the string sections rich notes are heard particularly during the beginning of the album, setting an inviting mood on all three parts of New Beginning.

Hale showcases his compositional intelligence by never letting this self-consciously sentimental music descend into cheap theatrics.

Even when the string section starts swooning on Burglary - Temptation (Part 2), its all part of the hard-nosed film noir style.

And a sense of alluring mystery that tempers the more emotional moments constantly prevails, due to the prominent role assigned to the lower woodwinds instruments.

Their richly shaded tones make sure the music never loses its cool, just like the more agitated string staccato rhythms and piano ostinato on New Beginning (Part 3) ensure that an element of intrigue and tension is always palpable.

Tellingly, its also these cues which feature the main theme, linking it closely to the elements of hope and aspiration present within the games story.

And when the action then kicks in, L.A.

Noire retains its period trappings and serves up some energising cues that may be less accessible than other parts of the soundtrack, but they also present the score at its most stylistically distinctive.

True to its stylistic template, Hale relies less on melodic elements, but rather on a sometimes almost modernistic assemblage of conflicting instrumental motifs.

L.A. Noire Ost