August: Osage County tells the dark, hilarious and deeply touching story of the strong-willed women of the Weston family, whose lives have diverged until a family crisis brings them back to the Midwest house they grew up in, and to the dysfunctional woman who raised them. The soundtrack album is comprised of songs by various artists including Kings of Leon and Eric Clapton...

The soundtrack to August: Osage County contains 14 tracks (40 mins) of music by different artists, as well as a selection of tracks from the score by composers Gustavo Santaolalla and Adam Taylor.

If you've seen the movie then you already know if this album will appeal to you. If you haven't seen it... well, the tracks don't make a natural play list that I can imagine anyone picking outside of the fact they are linked to the movie.

For more info on the tracks, the official press release states:

'Last Mile Home' by Kings of Leon, a soulful track with an understated guitar accompaniment, was specially written for the film by the band. The acoustic version of it was used for the end titles and the track featured on the album. The simple, moving 'Violet’s Song' by JD and the Straight Shot was also recorded for the movie, and the soundtrack includes the actor Benedict Cumberbatch performing as a singer ('Can’t Keep It Inside'). The album opens with eerie electronic echoings in 'Himmon TX' by Bon Iver, with the smoky voice of the indie group’s frontman Justin Vernon. The third track is a classic country blues number, 'Lay Down Sally' from Eric Clapton’s album Slow Hand. A further well-known number is Billy Squiers’ hard-rock 'The Stroke'. These veterans are joined by an up-and-coming star: the American singer-songwriter John Fullbright showcases his drawly Oklahoma vowels in the laid-back but energised 'Gawd Above'.

Of all the tracks, I have to confess that I rather enjoyed Adam Taylor's instrumental 'The Kiss'. In fact all of Taylor's tracks here are pretty enjoyable. Whereas, as interesting as they are, I found Gustavo Santaolalla's tracks a little more on the "filler" material side and while 'Barb Balcony' opens with an interesting theme, it closes sounding like music for an '80s TV show.

Track listing:

01 - 'Himmon, TX' - Bon Iver
02 - 'Last Mile Home' - Kings Of Leon
03 - 'Lay Down Sally' - Eric Clapton
04 - 'Don't Let Go' - Adam Taylor
05 - 'The Kiss' - Adam Taylor
06 - 'The Stroke' - illy Squier
07 - 'Gawd Above' - John Fullbright
08 - 'The Decision' - Adam Taylor
09 - 'Forward' - Adam Taylor
10 - 'Violet's Song' - JD and the Straight Shot
11 - 'Can't Keep It Inside' - Benedict Cumberbatch
12 - 'End Credits' - Gustavo Santaolalla
13 - 'And Then They're Here' - Gustavo Santaolalla
14 - 'Barb Balcony' - Gustavo Santaolalla

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Darren Rea