[2] Speaking to GoldDerby magazine, Blanchard said "The first thing that I thought of was a scene after the battle, where they’re coming back to the kingdom – that’s actually where I started scoring the film".

He scored the opening sequences, featuring a string orchestra and regional instruments including kalimba and kora, where "the beauty and the pageantry of this kingdom, that sets up everything else.

Fans of scores like The Lion King and Black Panther will be especially enthralled by what Terence Blanchard has done here but, honestly, unless you have some sort of knee-jerk aversion to music that has influences from Africa, I can see this having a generally broad appeal – one that can carry him all the way to the Academy Awards.

The review further continued "The absence of larger purpose or clear organization to all of these wayward melodies causes some consternation for listeners not enamored solely by the scope of performance sounds in The Woman King.

Those stylings are fantastic, and those who don't particularly care about melodic details will find the score to be a magnificent treat of performances spanning Western orchestral conventions and West African history.

On its album, the 74 minutes of score spread over 38 cues isn't arranged for an optimal listening experience, those contents requiring rearrangement and combination for a half hour of very engaging highlights.

[7] Kambole Campbell of Empire wrote "Terence Blanchard’s score, too, threatens to undermine the quieter moments with overwrought schmaltz (a shame, given the composer’s usual handle on drama).