Various Artists: Crazy Heart – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Author

Leslee Hall

Published

Monday 8th February

The film Crazy Heart tells the story of a former country singer turned alcoholic as he tries to repair his life following a series of failed relationships. With a synopsis like this, one might expect the soundtrack to be a collection of tragic and clichéd country songs lamenting the loss of love and success. Rather, the album expresses these themes in a confronting and realistic way, all the while carrying an undertone of hope.

The soundtrack contains almost an equal share of original tracks and classic country hits, with the latter providing a high standard that the new songs succeed in living up to. This is largely due to the writing power of T-Bone Burnett and the late Stephen Burton, with one or both penning all but one of the original songs, and the pair also producing the soundtrack. Particularly impressive are the songs ‘Somebody Else’ and ‘I Don’t Know’, each stories of embracing personal doubt. The theme to the movie, ‘The Weary Kind’, is also a well written song, but will face a battle to win the Oscar for Best Original Song that it is nominated for.

What is interesting on this soundtrack is the strength of the performances by the films actors. While Jeff Bridges is no novice at singing, his authenticity is surprising – his version of ‘I Don’t Know’ is more engaging than professional country singer Bingham’s performance, whose husky tones feel too perfect. Colin Farrell, who appears with Bridges on ‘Fallin’ and Flyin’’, lifts the song in its second rendition, and is a surprisingly good vocalist.

Overall, this soundtrack is a refreshing collection of country songs which convey realistic criticisms of the self and life, and is enjoyable even if you’re not a big fan of country music.