Reviews

One Tree Hill: where prime time teen drama means being an overdeveloped and sexually active high school cheerleader by day and brooding artist by night.  The WB’s hit show depicts the unlikely lives on a number of teens from North Carolina, one in particular being that of Peyton Sawyer, the mysterious blonde with dreams of running her own record label.  Okay you got me, I watch the show.  The idea for “Friends With Benefit” came about when Peyton (Hilarie Burton) desperately needs to bond with her dying biological mother who is stricken with cancer.  Never missing out on a chance to cash in, the WB took the idea and made it a reality.  Don’t worry, it really does benefit cancer!
 
Making the initial appearance are the Englishmen of Feeder with “Feeling A Moment.” The song is a typical rock ballad, but with its savor the moment or lose it feeling, it’s fitting for the compilation as Jon Lee, the group’s original drummer, lost his life in 2002. The motif continues into the next song which is also scheduled to be the first music video from the album. (Since when do compilations have music videos?) Jack’s Mannequin is the side project of Something Corporate vocalist, Andrew McMahon.  Andrew recently recovered from his own bout with cancer, and while I don’t really see the point of having a side project that sounds exactly like your other band, I dig the song and it makes sense to feature his work. 
 
I can always do without Audioslave and the radio hit that never fails to bring my finger closer to the “off” button.  Nada Surf features “Always Love,” three minutes and twenty seconds of mindless pop.  The song is brought to you on their third full length album, “The Weight is A Gift,” which is arguably their best release yet.  That leads us to Gavin DeGraw, the man responsible for One Tree Hill’s painfully catchy theme song “I Don’t Want To Be.” His strong southern style voice is backed by a soft piano melody on the piano ballad “Jealous Guy.” Although mildly repetitive and lacking in real subject matter, DeGraws’ distinct voice is chilling.  One of the better musical representations on this record is Citizen Cope’s “Son’s Gonna Rise.” For those who haven’t heard Cope’s style, it’s a mix of old school hip-hop, folk rock and classic rock n’ roll with blistering guitar solos. 
 
Two of the shows stars undoubtedly make their arguably necessary appearance on “Friends With Benefit.”  Tyler Hilton and Bethany Joy Lenz (Chris and Haley) each contribute a song, further mixing real life with TV life. Which one is which? With Jimmy Eat World and Fall Out Boy (they couldn’t find anyone better?) both having played fictional concerts on the night time drama, it’s hard to decipher what’s real and what isn’t.  I’m always up for a cancer benefit but at the same time uneasy about mixing fantasy and reality especially when the track listing uses Lenz’s stage name, Haley James Scott. The girl’s got a decent voice but are the One Tree Hill script writers writing her songs also
 
A portion of proceeds from this record go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. How much is a portion? I say if you want to donate to cancer, buy the compilation available from Vagrant Records or make a donation yourself.  Unless you’re a TV junkie or you’re really into the track list, you’re not going to go out and buy this.  For more information on the NBCF, please visit www.nationalbreastcancer.org.