‘Hope Floats’ – 5 Essential Soundtrack Cuts

Before the Rolling Stones came into their own as hit songwriters in their own right, they did loads of blues covers, ‘Honest I Do’ being one of them. Originally a hit for Jimmy Reed in 1957, 'Honest' appeared on the nascent band’s self-titled debut record in 1964, and while it's just so-so Stones, mad props go out to whoever put together the ‘Hope Floats’ soundtrack. This is an out-of-nowhere choice that deserves a spin, for sure.

Not to be confused with the Damien Jurado tune of the same name, Gillian Welch’s ‘Paper Wings’ is one of those tracks that just makes you want to get up out of your cubicle and dance the hell out of your office forever. The tune appears on her super-strong debut, ‘Revival,’ which hit the streets all the way back in 1996. Welch was doing the Norah Jones thing well before Norah Jones even knew Norah Jones could do the Norah Jones thing.

Apparently, there are only two places you can get ‘Wither, I’m a Flower’ by Whiskeytown: the ‘Hope Floats’ soundtrack or the deluxe reissue of ‘Strangers Almanac’ (certainly not on YouTube -- sorry, no clip). The tune find Whiskeytown’s leader, Ryan Adams, at his gravelly voiced best, and the melody evokes the Counting Crows ‘Recovering the Satellites’ and ‘Wicked Game’-era Chris Isaak.

‘Jagged’ is a dark little track by one of the first mainstays of the alt-country movement, Dallas' own Old 97’s, led by too-handsome-for-words Rhett Miller. Looks aside, Miller has some of the finest pipes of the era, and this song is a perfect chaser for a breakup (or a shot of tequila).

Originally appearing on the four-song U.S. single for ‘Everyday Is a Winding Road’ (1996), ‘In Need’ is not your average Sheryl Crow song. It has a darker edge, with some really out-of-left-field chord changes that probably made record company squirm. But music fans aren’t record companies -- so strap on your headphones and dig yourself some ‘In Need.’