Visit the Live From Abbey Road Web site

The Sundance Channel, in an effort to combine the popularity of “reality” and the crossover talents of mainstream musical artists have put their project, Live from Abbey Road into full affect. The first to episodes are an interesting mix of hip hop, emo, jazz, country and James Blunt, and they speak directly to you, oh so electric viewer, with your various interests and ever shortening attention span.

I’ve seen quite a few serialized pieces whose intent is to bring the artists in-studio persona to the foreground for our viewing pleasure. The difference here lies mostly in the quality of the filming, artists profiled and the historic value of Abbey Road Studio. The majority of us would give our left reproductive gland to experience the majesty of such a structure, and thanks to the power of cable television, you only have to give up $30 a month (internets and phone not included).

Once you flick on the program you are greeted by three tracks from each artist with some personal reflection or banal anecdote. Mary J. talks about the same thing she says in every interview (the power of optimism and its correlation to more or less drama in one’s life), and the Dashboard Confessional kids, having drained their bleeding hearts into their songs, come up short in terms of additional insights.

The second episode with Rascal Flatts, Kate Nash and Herbie Hancock is much like the former, and shows how it could potentially become a very rough watch for a whole season. While Ms. Nash’s sweet vocals and playful disposition can potential build her connection with fans, Herbie’s session is nothing else aside from a 15-minute name drop featuring Miles Davis with close-ups of Corinne Bailey Rae. Granted, this may not be the case with every artists (and while Herbie’s history is impressive, it can’t be the sole discussion topic in between tracks) but the fact that it happened in the second episode doesn’t bode well for the series.

The redeeming quality of these pieces is how each subject does a great deal of vocalizing on their personal experience, yet without excessive verbalization, speaks to their love and connection to the Beatles. This gives this show a certain charm and a purpose as the “talk about the band you idolize” show, without coming off too gushy. This then makes this a show worth watching; it’s a common bond with the artist that we can now share. The musicians we love and hold has benchmarks for success discussing their own personal benchmarks. It’s beautifully circuitous.

The Sundance Channel, who knows film, is good at bringing emotive or intense, or in-depth films to the attention of the public. With Live from Abbey Road, they are making it possible for music to make the same connection, and that in and of its self, is a reason to watch it and support.