"I went to a place to eat. It said 'breakfast at any time.' So I ordered french toast during the Renaissance". --Steven Wright ... If you are a devotee of time travel, check out this song...

Monday, February 11, 2013

Nashville: 'The Wrong Song' in the Right Series

My wife and I have been watching and really enjoying Nashville on ABC-TV.  We started watching it because we thought Connie Britton was fabulous in Friday Night Lights.  And I was a fan of Hayden Panettierre, at least insofar as that excellent first season of Heroes.

The two not only act engagingly but sing up a storm of brand new songs in Nashville.  Consider, for example "You've Got the Wrong Song," written on the show by Rayna (Connie) and Juliette (Hayden) but really written by Marv Green, Sonya Isaacs, and Jimmy Yeary.  The song is a tour-de-force put down, replete with quoted titles of "Stand by Your Man," "Baby Come Back," and "We Can Work It  Out" - as examples of everything the song is not saying - with an infectious melody and knockout performance by Connie and Hayden (see vid below).

Although the superb songs on the show are not written by the actors and actresses, they do all the singing.   In addition to Connie and Hayden, Clare Bowen as Scarlet has the voice of an angel, and gives a just beautiful rendition of another new standout song, "When the Right One Comes Along" (written by Georgia Middleman, Justin Davis, and Sarah Zimmermann).

The men in Nashville are not quite as powerful as the women, but get the job done.  Charles Easten as Deacon is especially noteworthy as Rayna's former and likely future lover - not to mention Scarlet's uncle, and both Rayna and Hayden's songwriting partner.   And the actor also plays a little guitar.

Even the story line is a little better than you'd expect, with not only the customary problematic parents and spouses, but some politics mixed in, and, best of all, a pretty realistic portrayal of the evolving music industry.   It's definitely the right series, when you're in the mood for something different a little different and refreshing on television, which around here is at least once a week.





                                                              

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