The results were memorable--and sometimes haunting--just like the films. For The Straight Story --the G-rated (yes, that's right) tale of an elderly man's epic journey on a John Deere lawnmower to see his sick brother--we get a different side to both the composer and the director once again. Here the orchestrations are atmospheric, but a subtle strain of folk music is evident throughout. "Rose's Theme" is filled with acoustic guitar finger-picking against a string section, "Alvin's Theme" has a fiddle mimicking a locomotive, and "Country Waltz" is just that. "Farmland Tour" is the Twin Peaks theme gone sentimental. A hint of nostalgia, a certain Midwestern innocence, and plenty of vast-sounding passages make this the perfect sonic backdrop for a film set...  (less)

Santaolalla, Warren Zevon, Leo Kottke, Kim Carnes, The Bellamy Brothers, Mac Davis, and Cat Power. "North Country - Music From The Motion Picture" also features Tell Ol' Bill, a new track from Bob Dylan only found on this incredible collection of songs.  (less)

northern New Mexico, its soundtrack sounds decidedly Lone Star. With famous Texans like Willie Nelson and the matchless yodeler Don Walser crooning some dusty charmers and a couple of country standards like "San Antonio Rose" and "Why Don't You Love Me" thrown in for good measure, the overall mood is very barbecue-friendly. Only Beck, who duets with Nelson on "Drivin' Nails in My Coffin" sounds a bit out of place here, his nasal drawl in curious contrast to Nelson's unmistakable whinny. Carter Burwell's score is standard-issue "epic" in its long gazes that suggest the largeness of both the West and the men's souls who inhabit it, but it gains an edge with its austere cadences and Mexican trumpet and guitar flourishes. --Lois Maffeo  (less)

always use music appropriate to a place to deliver to viewers another level of experience. I hope you enjoy this compilation of music from Rudy Maxa's World(tm) that can take you back to a place you've visited or whet your appetite to hit the road to discover new frontiers."- Rudy Maxa  (less)

present. The show follows an optimistic high school teacher as he tries to refuel his own passion for singing while reinventing the school's glee club and challenging a group of ragtag performers to realize their star potential. Each episode of the series features an eclectic selection of hits from genres spanning pop, R&B, Hip Hop, Country, Broadway and Rock 'n' Roll, reinterpreted through the lens of Murphy's modern sensibility and razor-sharp wit.  (less)

Every album in the NOW series has reached the Billboard Top 10, and it is the only non-soundtrack, multi-artist collection to reach #1 Billboard status on the Billboard Top 200 Album Sales Chart. The CD unlocks bonus content from hot, new developing artists including Caitlin & Will and Chris Young. 20 tracks including cuts from Taylor Swift, Rascal Flatts, Trace Adkins, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood and many others.  (less)

the moment in time when "country" music suddenly went cosmopolitan, paving the way for Garth Brooks. Johnny Lee's "Lookin' for Love" was one of the decade's biggest singles, and this album briefly made a star of Mickey Gilley (whose Texas club provided a home for that alpha bull). Fans of Bob Seger, Jimmy Buffet, the Eagles, Dan Fogelberg, and Bonnie Raitt may want this collection for the tunes they lack elsewhere. And it sure recalls an era. But please don't call it "country." --Bill Holdship  (less)

heart in mind with a stylistic array of early 1970s sounds supported by Trevor Rabin's orchestral score (one seven-minute excerpt, "Titans Spirit," finishes things off here). Charles Wright & the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band's "Express Yourself" is, perhaps, the greatest surprise, while oddball favorites such as Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky," Steam's "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye," and Eric Burdon and War's "Spill the Wine" match up with country star Buck Owens's "Act Naturally." Covers include a fiery version of Sly Stone's "I Want to Take You Higher" and Leon Russell's laid-back barrelhouse-piano take on the doomsday anthem "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall." Cat Stevens's "Peace Train" rolls into the station in its original version. Creedence Clearwater ...  (less)

features songs from all-time greats The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, The Allman Brothers Band, Roy Buchanan and Badfinger along with a collaboration between Pink Floyd's Roger Waters, Van Morrison, and The Band. Add cult faves The Human Beinz, current South Boston punkers Dropkick Murphys, an R&B gem from LaVern Baker, a country- pop selection from the immortal Patsy Cline, and a pair of selections from Grammy® Award-winning score composer Howard Shore and The Departed's soundtrack album promises to be as widely popular as the film.  (less)