By Mike Fordham
As it is with any hit television show, the inevitable soundtrack is sure to follow. The One Tree Hill soundtrack is full of currently hip bands and genres. Like other TV soundtracks, too, the lineup is random and seems to only bolster the show.
One trend that continues with “One Tree Hill” is the intertwining of music inside the show. Like “90210,” “Smallville” and “The O.C.,” music is as important to the characters (and story) as it is on the soundtrack. Singer Tyler Hilton (who plays singer/songwriter Chris Keller on the show) has an appearance on here, including a duet with actress Bethany Joy Lenz. While this isn’t a major point, it raises the conundrum of TV shows as an ad for music or music as an ad for television, which has become rampant in these times of media synergy.
And just how does Hilton fare? Not too well. The actor comes across as a wannabe Howie Day or Matt Nathanson, attempting to sound weighty. His two contributions are contrived and lack originality.
Not surprisingly, the show’s theme song, Gavin DeGraw’s “I Don’t Want To Be,” makes an appearance, although in live form. Even a concert setting can’t disguise DeGraw’s vapid performance, however.
It makes sense that emo would make an appearance here due to its recent commercial emergence and being on an album for an “emotional” teenage drama. Emo vets the Get Up Kids and Jimmy Eat World offer tracks (“Overdue” and “Kill,” respectively) with varying degrees of success while Story Of The Year fails with the acoustic “Sidewalks.”
Some of the soundtrack’s highlights come from artists that don’t seem to fit the show. Butch Walker joins in with “Mixtape,” probably the best song about a mixtape since Semisonic’s “Singing In My Sleep.” Sheryl Crow shines on the acoustic take of “The First Cut Is The Deepest” while Travis provides more of their thoughtful pop on “Re-offender.” One definite bright spot is Trespassers William’s “Lie In The Sound.” The group turns heads with their concoction of dreamy indie pop. It’s a shame the song is buried at the disc’s conclusion; with the right amount of exposure, Trespassers William could end up as One Tree Hill’s “band,” a la Death Cab For Cutie’s “The O.C.” connection.
A good soundtrack will accentuate the film or show it is derived from. Too often, the album is a mere promotional vehicle, and One Tree Hill suffers from this syndrome.

The Chronicle gives ´One Tree Hill OST´, by Various Artists two 1/2 out of five stars.