It seems that HBO’s hit drama True Blood has all the gory elements of success. Brimming with horror, humour and frankly, hotties, the show has grossed somewhat of a cult following State-side. And now the show has spread over the pond after being picked up by Channel 4 for us blood-thirsty Brits.
But it’s the grimy soundtrack which accompanies the programme that will surely set hearts racing. Featuring songs performed by a wide-range of Louisiana natives, ‘True Blood – Music from the HBO Original Series’ contains tracks by the likes of Ryan Adams, Slim Harpo, Allen Toussaint, as well as three-time Grammy award winner Lucinda Williams.
It is also set to include the sultry theme song ‘Bad Things’ performed by Jace Everett.
True Blood is created by acclaimed screenwriter Alan Ball (mastermind of Six Feet Under) and is based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris.
The series takes place in the not-too-distant future when vampires roam among men thanks to the invention of synthetic blood called ‘True Blood’ which means they no longer need to feed on human flesh. It is set in the backwoods of Louisiana, in fictional town Bon Temps, and follows the budding romance between waitress Sookie Stackhouse (who, incidentally, can read minds) and Bill Compton (who, by the way, is a 173-year-old vampire).
The show echoes the past civil-rights struggles in Louisiana: cunningly mixing it with modern fascination with the paranormal and conceptions of Southern life. The people of Bon Temps know vampires exist; they’d just rather they stay elsewhere.
In addition, ‘True Blood – Music from the HBO Original Series’ includes ‘The Golden State,’ a wonderfully harmonised performance by John Doe, filled with strong solo interludes and which is set to feature in the second season of the series.
It also contains ‘Bleed 2 Feed,’ an exclusive song written expressly for the show by Lafayette-based swamp rocker CC Adcock.
Cobra Verde, Little Big Town and Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers also contribute to the eclectic album.
The soundtrack compliments the theme of the show perfectly, combining country, rock and blues to bring Louisiana’s distinctive musical heritage to light for a whole new generation and I expect it will be as much of a hit as the show itself.
