For the mature, family-oriented TV drama series Providence, nothing less than intelligent, thoughtful songs would suffice for its soundtrack. And from the folksy style of Dar Williams and Jonatha Brooke to the country-pop of Rebecca Lynn Howard and Kim Richey, this collection of songs delivers the goods. Most of the songs here would fall into the category of adult contemporary--Williams's ode to psychotherapy is lyrically incisive and fluffy with harmony, and Howard belts her delicate ballad with the elegant poise of Faith Hill. Individually, most of the songs manage to avoid AC's blandness, especially Shawn Colvin's sweet, wistful retelling of the Beatles' "In My Life," the show's theme song, and Titiyo's tart "Come Along." Yet as a whole, Providence can occasionally be bogged down by its deep sentiments, slow tempos, and monotonous instrumentation, especially near the end of the disc. While not a major flaw, unfortunately it does threaten to overwhelm the sterling songs included wherein--like Providence, music deserving of a wide audience.
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Providence
