True Blood: Music from the HBO Original Series, Vol. 4

Overview

Like another popular vampire franchise, True Blood's soundtracks became increasingly star-studded with each volume. True Blood Vol. 4: Music from the Original HBO Series is no exception, kicking off with a pair of duets featuring Eric Burdon and Jenny Lewis and Iggy Pop and Bethany Cosentino, respectively, as well as tracks by venerable indie acts like My Morning Jacket and trendier names like the Naked and Famous. Despite the increased starpower, the brooding-yet-campy vibe of True Blood's music remains strong, particularly on driving tracks like Mobley's bluesy take on the Beatles' "I Wanna Be Your Man" and theatrical ones like Los Lobos' version of the chestnut "We'll Meet Again." At times, songs like these border on overdone, but then again, True Blood has never been much for subtlety. And while some of the collection's star turns work well, such as Warpaint's delicate lament "Undertow" and the Flaming Lips' "Your Face Can Tell the Future" -- which is far more winsome and bittersweet than the epic bleakness they explored on The Terror -- often the biggest pleasures here are the simplest. Koko Taylor's "Whatever I Am, You Made Me" and Howlin' Wolf's ubiquitous but still great "Smokestack Lightnin'" both sound like cuts off of Merlotte's jukebox, while Alabama Shakes' rollicking "Pocket Change" has a bouncy, almost Cajun feel that fits right into the proceedings. True Blood's soundtracks were more interesting when they highlighted older or lesser-known songs and artists that nevertheless captured the show's feel perfectly; despite this, and the fact that this is one of the series' most disjointed collections of tracks, there are still quite a few good songs here. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	06/07/2013
Label:	Ato
UPC:	0880882186111
Rank:	71569

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Flaming Lips   Primary Artist
Eric Burdon   Primary Artist
Howlin' Wolf   Primary Artist
Los Lobos   Primary Artist
Koko Taylor   Primary Artist
My Morning Jacket   Primary Artist
Jenny Lewis   Primary Artist
Iggy Pop   Primary Artist
The Heavy   Primary Artist
The Naked and Famous   Primary Artist
Warpaint   Primary Artist
Bosco Delrey   Primary Artist
Bethany Cosentino   Primary Artist
Alabama Shakes   Primary Artist
Deap Vally   Primary Artist
Mobley   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

T. Powers   Composer
Paul McCartney   Composer
B. Benjamin   Composer
The Flaming Lips   Producer
Hector Castillo   Mixing
Chester Burnett   Composer
John Would   Producer
John Mellencamp   Composer
S. Marcus   Composer
John Lennon   Composer
Leonard Chess   Producer
Wayne Coyne   Composer
Pete Seeger   Composer,Adaptation
Scott Booker   Producer
Phil Chess   Producer
Jim James   Producer
Los Lobos   Producer
R. Parker   Composer
Herb Jordan   Executive Producer
A. Short   Composer
Tom Biller   Producer
Dave Fridmann   Producer
Lars Stalfors   Mixing,Producer
Paul Corkett   Producer
Kevin Bartley   Mastering
Maria Alonte McCoy   Executive in Charge of Music
Lindsey Troy   Composer
S. Johnson   Composer
Gary Calamar   Soundtrack Producer
Willie Dixon   Composer,Producer
The Heavy   Producer
B. Howard   Composer
Jenny Lee Lindberg   Composer
M. Ivins   Composer
G. Caldwell   Composer
Kelvin Swaby   Composer
Julie Edwards   Composer
Owen Husney   Executive Producer
Aaron Short   Composer,Producer
Sharon Lord   Executive in Charge of Music
Stella Mozgawa   Composer
Alan Ball   Executive Producer
Steve Gillis   Engineer
N/A   Composer
Andrija Tokic   Mixing,Engineer
C. Burnett   Composer
Alyson Vidoli   Soundtrack Coordination
Bosco Delrey   Producer
Thomas Powers   Composer
Alisa Xayalith   Composer
Thom Powers   Producer
Theresa Becker Wayman   Composer
Brendan McReynolds   Engineer
Alabama Shakes   Mixing,Producer
Stephanie Alexa   Soundtrack Music Clearance
C. Ellul   Composer
S. Page   Composer
Janis Fein   Art Direction
Emily Camile Kokal   Composer
Mobley   Producer