The album opens with “New Bordeaux”, named after the game’s fictional New Orleans setting. It makes for a unique blues style that’s familiar but with layers of unexpected sounds, interludes of trippy soundscapes and thick ambiance. The traditional blues sounds were expanded and accentuated with the use of flange effects, “ step dancer ” body percussion and the stellar sounding bowed piano and bowed acoustic guitar. That consistently cool sound is thanks to the work of composers Jesse Harlin ( CounterSpy, Star Wars: The Old Republic) and Jim Bonney ( BioShock Infinite, Perception) who stuck to a small staple of blues instruments including harmonicas and hand organs. It’s also an exceptionally listenable album with highs and lows to accompany the drama and action but with a graceful, consistent feel overall. It comes from a mainstream AAA title in a series whose orchestral soundtracks were already well regarded, bucking the trend of what even fans may be expecting. That’s what makes Mafia III (Expanded Game Score) extra special. ![]() ![]() ![]() Even fewer big budget titles these days would dare reach beyond the safety of orchestral bombast that has become the norm. A few titles come to mind that have borrowed the style for a single level or licensed a blues song for a cutscene but very few go all the way with their soundtracks. If there’s a genre of music I don’t hear often enough in games, it’s the blues.
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