Various Artists – Traveller (soundtrack)
At first, a collaboration between Bill Paxton (of Twister fame) and Seymour Stein (founder of Sire Records and outgoing president of Elektra Entertainment) seems a bit far-fetched. What claim do a Hollywood darling and a record label mogul have to a collection of old country, pop and R&B remakes?
As it turns out, plenty. The movie Traveller is Paxton’s first endeavor as a producer. In it, he stars as a grifter in the backwoods of the rural South, swindling to make a living. It’s a “small” film about the strength of family and the bond of true love. This is not Bill Paxton, tornado chaser, it’s Bill Paxton, storyteller, life observer, and lover of American roots music. The connection with Stein? In 1987, Stein signed Paxton’s band, Martini Ranch, to an ill-fated record deal.
The soundtrack to Traveller teams up songs from the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s with current artists on the Asylum label and a few of Stein’s faves. The effect is a drive through rural towns, listening to the car radio. Young Patsy Cline protege Mandy Barnett sings three of the 18 cuts, including a cover of Bobby Darin’s “Dream Lover”. Randy Travis leads off the album (and the film, to fine effect) with an admirable version of Roger Miller’s “King Of The Road”. Jimmie Dale Gilmore pulls off two Lefty Frizzell tunes. Well-known veterans Bryan White, k.d. lang and Lou Ann Barton also kick in credible covers, but they serve as anchors for a number of lesser-known artists.
Lila McCann, another from the LeAnn Rimes school of prepubescent country singers, performs Hank Locklin’s “Please Help Me I’m Falling (In Love With You)”. Tina & The B-Side Movement play a raucous version of Brenda Lee’s “Sweet Nothin’s”; Thrasher Shriver, with their sweet Everly-esque harmonies, sing “Blues Stay Away From Me”; and the Cox Family is perfectly suited for the Carter Family’s “I’m Thinking Tonight Of My Blue Eyes”. Other performers include Kevin Sharp and Ozark antihero Royal Wade Kimes. Al Green’s “Love And Happiness” is a fish out of water on the soundtrack, although apropos when taken in context of the movie.
Andy Paley is the creative force behind the music itself. He produced many of the performances and wrote the original movie score. He also assembled an amazing group of musicians who, along with this talented group of singers, make the Traveller soundtrack a gratifying companion to a charming movie.