Many are the times that he drops into story development mode by using the montage approach with a driving or reflective song playing over the top. He also has a penchant for using established songs covered by new artists and this gives some very familiar songs a new lease on life.

The current season in America (which is season’s ahead of what Australian free to air television is currently broadcasting) sees Sutter delivering some of his best dialogue ever and the songs in the current season have really added to the emotional impact. Sutter’s wife Katey Segal (Gemma Teller on the show) has also been featured and her voice has a very soulful lived-in quality that well suits the song selection.

This collection, which is now up to Volume three, features the most emotionally resonant songs of the series and the highlights are many. Leonard Cohen’s Come Healing, Noah Gundersen and house band, The Forest Rangers take on the Rolling Stones’ classic As Tears Go By and Segal’s take on Jackson Browne’s For A Dancer are particularly satisfying.

Having seen all of the current episodes of SOA is not a prerequisite for enjoying this collection of songs as they easily stand on their own. However for fans of the show, this soundtrack will bring back some great memories and ignite a desire to go back and revisit the show’s most emotionally vivid moments.

Rob Hudson
www.tv.com