Nashville Cast Breaks Barriers: From T.V to MP3

In every issue after a long break I try and recap the “theme music” of that holiday for me. The one thing I had on repeat for summer vacation or winter break, and the music that I think all of you should add to your iPod, Spotify, or YouTube playlist.

It was difficult for me to sit down and think about the one album I should review for the Holiday season because there were so many amazing ones that came out around Christmas. I am a huge hip-hop, soul, country, reggae, indie-rock fan, so sitting down to choose just one became tedious until I realized my answer was playing on repeat from my computer while I was thinking.

Nashville has quickly become my favorite television show. After living in Nashville this past summer, I found it only right to start watching the series, and now I think it is safe to say I am addicted to it. I find that is the only show on television that focuses almost solely on the music industry and really depicts some of the true inner workings of the entertainment world, which is perfect for a music industry or sound recording major.

The reason I truly love the show however is the music. I am the type of person where I watch a television show and fall in love with the faint song playing in the background while someone drives away or solves a crime. I am continuously trying to type the lyrics into Google before a commercial break so that I can download the entire song for my library. With Nashville though, that background music is put front and center and entire scenes are even based around it.

While living in Nashville, I started watching the show, and I did a lot of research on where it was filmed and who wrote the songs each week. I found out that a lot of the music was written by local Nashville artists. You can tell that every song selected for each episode is carefully picked and could be a real hit if it first hit country radio instead of ABC’s network.

I was beyond excited when I received the Nashville Cast soundtrack for Christmas this year, but I had no idea how much I would listen to it.

I didn’t realize that the songs I fell in love with on each episode were longer than the thirty second clips we were exposed to on television, and each song on the album grew greater each time I listened to it. It is very rare for a television show to focus on the music industry, especially on a major network, and then produce albums with the music captured in each season; however Nashville crosses into this new territory extremely well.

If you have yet to watch Nashville, or hear any of the music from it, I highly suggest you make it a priority on your music list.

The show currently has two soundtracks out, but their second season album; Nashville Cast is definitely their most diverse. It is the perfect music for a long car ride, study session, or relaxing night with the one you love (as corny as that may sound). As always I would love to hear your feedback!