Big Little Lies Soundtrack Slaps

If you haven't been living under a rock, you know about the new HBO series called "Big Little Lies" (which was filmed in our backyard, no biggie, me and Reese are tight).

And if you have two God-given ears you know that the playlist for this series is outstanding. So we did some digging and tried to find which musical warlock chose the perfect songs to match with the perfect series.

IMBD told us Susan Jacobs was in charge of at least one episode's music. But then our trail runs dry. What we do know is Jacobs has an awesome track record as Music Supervisor, with some front-runner titles under her belt, like "Joy" starring Jennifer Lawrence, M. Night Shyamalan's "Split", and even pre-BLL Witherspoon's "Wild."

It seems Jacob's works through the show's muse in Witherspoon's character Madeline McKenzie's daughter, Chloe. Chloe is our musical inspiration, and just an overall a 6-year-old badass, telling her mom how it is, while feeding her the most fulfilling and down-right heart wrenching songs that perfectly depict Madeline's struggles in the series.

Of course Spotify has already jumped the gun on compiling all of the series' songs into one playlist (hallelujah). And just looking at the artist list gives me white-girl-festival goosebumps. Imagine a Coachella line-up like this:

First off, Leon Bridges. This guy is definitely the songbird of our generation. My heartstrings haven't been tugged this hard since that boy in 2nd grade checked the "No" box on my "Do you like me? Yes or No?" note. His song "River" from his album "Coming Home", is endlessly beautiful. He definitely has some Otis Redding roots. His soulful understanding is so deep you feel it in your bones, recalling every major pivotal moment in your short twenty-six years of life. The entire "Coming Home" album is worth a listen, especially for an album just gaining attention after being released in 2015, Bridges deserves the attention ten-fold. (BRB while I go sit in Golden Gate Park and reflect...)

Other mention-worthy groups on the list include Sufjan Stevens (take me back to junior high with my love for acoustic guitar and tinny sounding singers). Sufjan's "Casimir Pulaski Day" is very Monterey Bay/Big Sur, a little folk, a little soft, and always telling a story, like a wandering traveler (cue Ed Kerouac). Alabama Shakes fall into the same category, with their song "This Feeling" featured in the series (another killer from Chloe McKenzie). We see Madeline driving down the iconic Big Sur trance-inducing coastline listening to this ballad, where imagery meets its musical counterpart.

We can't forget to mention Martha Wainright's "Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole" while the song accompanies Nicole Kidman characters struggle as an abused wife and her complete asshole of a husband, played by Alexander Skarsgard. (***SPOILER***who did such a good job in this role I felt overly elated with his death in the finale.)

Charles Bradley is one of the only artists featured twice in the series. And his story is insane. He lived on the streets of Brooklyn and found his inspiration in James Brown at a young age. And you can hear the similarities in his voice. His song "Victim of Love" is in BLL, as well as his cover of Black Sabbath's "Changes" which is beyond incredible. At 68-years-old, Bradley is a vision of perseverance, and his trials and tribulations give life to his music. If you know music, you know "Changes" by Black Sabbath ...and Bradley's cover deserves consideration. There's too much soul in his bones to be ignored.

And if BLL's Chloe McKenzie is any hope for the future, I am elated that greats like Jefferson Airplane, Elvis Presley, and the Temptations will not be forgotten. Chloe is casually saving what is left of the newest generation's current music preferences.

Lastly, which is a bit ironic because this artist can brag that he has the opening song for one of the biggest HBO series made. Michael Kiwanuka. Remember that name. He reminds me of Frank Ocean, in terms of his production, and how dramatic/cinematic his music sounds. One YouTube commenter likened him to Pink Floyd, and I would agree, but with a dash of Jimmy Hendrix, and a few drops of Radiohead "House of Card's".

Basically, the soundtrack slaps, especially if you're looking for something deeply rooted and soulful. It is a perfect mix of old school sound and new school artists, folktales, and wanderer-worthy stories.

Here's the full line-up from Spotify:

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