ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK OF “AUGUST: OSAGE COUNTY”
TO BE RELEASED ON JANUARY 7, 2014
A NEW SONG BY JD AND THE STRAIGHT SHOT, TRACKS BY BON IVER, ERIC CLAPTON, KINGS OF LEON & BILLY SQUIER, COMPOSITIONS BY GUSTAVO SANTAOLALLA
Sony Music is proud to announce the release of the original motion picture soundtrack of August: Osage County, featuring songs specially written for the film by Kings of Leon and by JD and the Straight Shot, as well as celebrated songs by Bon Iver, Eric Clapton and Billy Squier. These tracks are backed up by new music composed by Gustavo Santaolalla and others. The original motion picture soundtrack of August: Osage County is available on January 7, 2014.
The songs on the album make up an irresistible compilation. “Last Mile Home” by Kings of Leon, a soulful track with an understated guitar accompaniment, was specially written for the film by the band. The acoustic version of it was used for the end titles and the track featured on the album. The simple, moving “Violet’s Song” by JD and the Straight Shot was also recorded for the movie, and as a special treat the soundtrack includes the pleasure of hearing the actor Benedict Cumberbatch perform as a singer (“Can’t Keep It Inside”). The album opens with eerie electronic echoings in “Himmon TX” by Bon Iver, with the smoky voice of the indie group’s frontman Justin Vernon. The third track is an absolute classic of country blues, “Lay Down Sally” from Eric Clapton’s album Slow Hand. A further well-known number is Billy Squiers’ hard-rock “The Stroke”. These veterans are joined by an up-and-coming star: the American singer-songwriter John Fullbright showcases his drawly Oklahoma vowels in the laid-back but energised “Gawd Above”.
To accompany these songs Gustavo Santaolalla and others have composed atmospheric film music. The multi-talented Santaolalla is best known for his work writing movie scores and producing albums. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Original Score, for his work on Babel and Brokeback Mountain, and two Grammy Awards as an album producer. He is also the founder of the electrorock-tango band Bajofondo, whose latest album, Presente, was recently released by Sony Music Masterworks. Of his compositions for August: Osage County, the longest is the “End Credits” track, melodious and fittingly subdued music in which orchestral strings underlay twangy guitar chords. Santaolalla wrote two further pieces for the album. In addition, four short compositions by Adam Taylor highlight the pensive aspects of the movie, and to round everything off there is a brief but groovy hidden track by the Grammy-winning film and TV composer Mateo Messina.
August: Osage County is the much-anticipated movie version of an award-winning play with an all-star cast, including Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Ewan McGregor, Chris Cooper, Abigail Breslin, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Margo Martindale, Dermot Mulroney, Julianne Nicholson, Sam Shepard and Misty Upham. This calls for a high-class soundtrack, a call which has been met by combining superb songs – both fine new releases and classics by famous performers – with excellent compositions by Gustavo Santaolalla, Adam Taylor and Mateo Messina.
Jeremy [HWR:OLM]
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