Country music drama Nashville is coming to an end after its sixth and final season. The show has had a bumpy ride over its six seasons moving from ABC to CMT following its fourth season. Fans were shocked when the show’s end was announced and personally I still think it’s premature. There were plenty more stories to tell with these characters but at least it’ll be going out on a high. As always the music on the show is one of the most important parts and recently the first volume of season six’s soundtrack was released.
The collection features 12 songs taken from the first 8 episodes of the season. Things kick off on a solemn note with Hayden Panettiere’s wisftful and pondering Is There Anybody Out There. Due to the nature of her storyline this season, Panettiere’s character Juliette Barnes hasn’t had much singing to do as she’s been taken off into a cult. For the first time since these soundtracks began, Panettiere’s songs are the least interesting so I’m hoping she comes back with a bang on the next soundtrack.
Far more interesting is Maisy Stella’s contributions. Her character Daphne Conrad has had a lot of music this season and it’s nice to see her finally shining on her own away from her sister Lennon (who plays Maddie in the show). Come and Find Me, a piano-led ballad, showcases Lennon’s gorgeous vocal but it’s Unravel that really stands out. Lennon has come so far since the start of the show and her distinctive tone sounds fantastic on the track.
Elsewhere on the soundtrack Last Highways, made up of Will Lexington (Chris Carmack), Avery (Jonathan Jackson), Gunnar (Sam Palladio) and Alannah (Rainee Blake) get two contributions; the beautiful Hold On (Not Leaving You Behind) and the rockier Love is Loud, which is the stronger of the two tracks. Sam Palladio gets a gentle Country moment on the luscious Never Come Back Again and Lennon Stella continues to explore the pop/Country hybrid that Maddie has been recording with the catchy What It’s Made For.
Charles Esten has three appearances on this go around. He provides back-up for Rhiannon Giddens on the fantastic Wandering Roads, eyes a memorable melody on the reflective Looking for the Light and closes the soundtrack with the acoustic-driven Face the Sun. As always his contributions are among the highlights and he’s really grown as an artist over the course of the last six seasons.
The Music of Nashville: Original Soundtrack Season 6 Volume isn’t the strongest of all of the show’s soundtracks but it has plenty of good moments on it. The disappointing songs from Panettiere aside, the show continues to explore all guises of Country, even stepping outside the genre now and again. I can’t believe we’ve probably only got one more soundtrack left but at least we’ll have all this music to savour for years to come once the show does bow out this summer.
[brid video=”223727″ player=”531″ title=”NASHVILLE ON CMT Daphne Sings “Unravel””]
Track listing: 1. Is There Anybody Out There (Hayden Panettiere) 2. Never Come Back Again (Sam Palladio) 3. What It’s Made For (Lennon Stella) 4. Ain’t No Normal (Clare Bowen) 5. Come and Find Me (Maisy Stella) 6. I Always Will (Hayden Panettiere) 7. Wandering Roads (Rhiannon Giddens and Charles Esten) 8. Hold On (Not Leaving You Behind) (Chris Carmack, Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio and Rainee Blake) 9. Looking for the Light (Charles Esten) 10. Love is Loud ) (Chris Carmack, Jonathan Jackson, Sam Palladio and Rainee Blake) 11. Unravel (Maisy Stella) 12. Face the Sun (Charles Esten) Record label: Big Machine Release date: 22nd February 2018
