Early Oscar nomination handicappers are already abuzz over Jeff Bridges' extraordinary performace as an aging, down-on-his-luck and world-weary country singer in the film Crazy Heart, opening December 16. Of particular note is the incredible soundtrack produced with the usual meticulous care from T-Bone Burnett, a man who certainly knows his way around soundtracks having handled three of the best with country and Americana themes: the multi-platinum O Brother Where Art Thou, the Johnny Cash biopic I Walk The Line and the wonderful Civil War epic Cold Mountain. The soundtrack to Crazy Heart oddly enough doesn't arrive until a month after the movie opens but we're thinking that this collection will be essential listening. Tracks from the Louvin Brothers, Buck Owens, Waylon Jennings and Townes Van Zandt bring some classics to the mix, but it's Burnett's new productions that distinguish the album.

 Bridges handles five of the soundtrack's songs solo, most co-written with the recently passed Steven Bruton (to whom the film is dedicated) while supporting actor Colin Farrell takes one and the two team up for one of the many highlights: "Fallin' and Flyin'". But the biggest beneficiary of the whole project just may turn out to be Ryan Bingham, the Lone Star alt-country singer/songwriter who released the excellent Roadhouse Sun this past June, an album we called "a musical recipe that's soaked in equal parts whiskey shots, truckstop hash and a spicy burrito." His track "The Weary Kind" is a quietly brilliant slice of real and raw music, a song that captures the film's spirit (and Bridges' performance) perfectly and Burnett wisely chose the song to be the film's theme (and end credit roller). Look for an expanded version of the soundtrack (with seven more songs for a total of 23) on February 2. "The Weary Kind" video and Crazy Heart trailer after the jump...

Official Film Site New West Site

Ryan Bingham - "The Weary Kind" (from the soundtrack to Crazy Heart)

Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllanhaal from Crazy Heart (Photo: Laurie Sebastian)

Ryan Bingham