Deadwood (Original Motion Series Soundtrack): The Music That Brought the Wild West to Life

The soundtrack to HBO's award-winning western series is as mischievous and grim as the town that serves as its namesake. Composer David Schwartz (Northern Exposure) provides the rousing title sequence with a theme that blends classic cowboy motifs with spooky bits of worldbeat flavor that reflect Deadwood's multi-cultural locals and hellfire and brimstone proselytizing. Like The Sopranos, modern songs rarely occur before the closing credits, so the producers have integrated audio clips from some of the town's most creative and colorful orators -- mainly Al Swearangen whose electric vocabulary reflects the prefix of his last name -- to fill in the gaps. For the most part, Deadwood plays like a country-folk jukebox with a little piano blues thrown in for good measure, but there are notable highlights including Michael Hurley's amiable "Hog of the Forsaken," the late June Carter Cash's gorgeous and sparse rendition of "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and Lyle Lovett's "Old Friend," a song that poignantly followed the death of one of the show's central figureheads Wild Bill Hickock. [The soundtrack is also available in a Clean Version that omits all of the "offending" sound bytes.]

The popular HBO series comes with an equally attractive DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. Being a TV program, episodes are understandably front-heavy with little activity in the surrounds. Then again, there are a few good moments of atmospherics, creating an enjoyable and convincing soundfield. For example, the echoes of Bullock's and Swearengen's demanding voices ring and spread into the background during indoor confrontations. Birds and crickets can be heard in the distance for a persuasive and satisfying ambiance. It's not an overwhelmingly immersive experience, but it does provide the design with a great sense of space.

Deadwood (Original Motion Series Soundtrack)

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