This past June, when I was in Buffalo, me and a lifelong friend had a chance to go and see Sinners. This is Ryan Coogler’s 1930s Mississippi vampire–blues film that’s now up for a record‑breaking 16 nominations at the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026, with the show starting at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific.
I was absolutely blown away by the young singer in the film, Sammie Moore, played and sung by Miles Caton, and I kept asking myself, “Is he really singing that?” The depth of his cadence, the believability, and the connection were mind‑blowing. He was absolutely amazing, and then there was the story we watched, but I was still fixated on the music, especially that dancing scene that worked its way through the ages.
The Music That Commanded My Full Attention
On the music side, there’s a whole team at work. The score and overall sound of the film are put together by composer‑producer Ludwig Göransson, Ryan Coogler’s longtime collaborator from projects like Creed and Black Panther, but it’s Miles Caton’s voice as Sammie that you feel cutting straight through the screen. That combination of a composer building the world and a young singer commanding your full attention inside it is what makes the soundtrack so dangerous in the best way.
It was the first and only movie I’ve ever sat completely through until the very end. Me and my friend were the last two in the theater because I wanted to hear the rest of the soundtrack, every last note. I could’ve very easily reached out and gotten the music early, since I’m very well connected to the people who worked on it, but I didn’t. I am going to buy it this week because it’s been a really long time since I’ve been that moved by music.
Watching It Again, Seeing Even More
But the part that really blew me away was the fact that when I was at home recently, I sat down and watched it again. Streaming it at home, I was absolutely floored by how much I missed, how important certain parts were, and how I had to see it at least twice, maybe even three times, to totally get it. Understanding the scene where all cultures of people are at the Black blues club, dancing through the ages with that song playing, that hit different the second time…