Big Pun dead; Puffy charged; Morisette heads to Broadway

Various Artists
Columbia Records
Available Now

B-

By Brandon H. Franks
Daily Cougar Staff

The only way you might not have heard about the HBO original series The Sopranos for the past year is if you haven't had HBO.

It's been hailed as a masterpiece by critics and loved by those who've seen the show.

Now, for those who just can't get enough of the New Jersey mob scene, there's The Sopranos soundtrack.

This soundtrack has everything from Frank Sinatra to Wyclef Jean, but the one thing it does not have is the ability to grab you from the beginning to end like the show so easily does.

Most of the album is awesome and fits the show so well that you can see actual scenes that wouldgo with the songs. Unfortunately, two songs -- "The Beast in Me" by Nick Lowe and "I've Tried Everything" by the Eurythmics -- are two songs that need to be someplace else.

Both songs are good, especially the Eurythmics track, but they just don't fit with the album's style -- they go together about as well as plaid pants and argyle socks.

The rest of the tracks are great and for the major Sopranos addict the album even has the show's opening song "Woke Up This Morning (Chosen One Mix)," by A3. 

Right after that comes R.L. Burnsides "It's Bad You Know." This is a techno-blues-style song that grooves you in all the right places and is great for driving.

Probably the best song that would represent the show is Frank "Chairman of the Board" Sinatra's "It Was A Very Good Year." In the first episode of its now-second season, this song played through its entirety, showing everything of importance that happened from the last season.

The album goes back to the '70s and '80s and picks up songs like "Gotta Serve Somebody" from Bob Dylan and "State Trooper" by Bruce Springsteen.

It even has Cream's "I Feel Free" -- not only is it a great song, it has catchy lyrics, too.

The album's not just full of old songs and a couple of bad ones. The Sopranos soundtrack also includes a recent instrumental from Los Lobos called "Viking," and "Blood is Thicker is Than Water" by Wyclef Jean featuring G&B (The Product).

The Sopranos soundtrack is for the most part very fitting for the series. If nothing else, you can at least feel like Tony Soprano while listening to the first track.