If there’s one thing that could have sunk Fox’s “Empire” faster than bad acting, it’s bad music. But ratings for the record-breaking hip-hop drama are soaring, thanks to its addictive story line and entertaining cast, as well as its slew of catchy tunes which are now included in the “Original Soundtrack from Season 1 of Empire.”
Not every song on the compilation is a gem, but the set is certainly worth a listen, if only for a chance to hear more from actor and singer Jussie Smollett, who plays Jamal Lyons, the middle son of “Empire” music mogul Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard). Smollett is the soundtrack’s breakout star — a position for which veteran producer and “Empire” music supervisor Timbaland certainly deserves at least some of the credit.
Songs such as “Good Enough” and “Keep Your Money,” crafted by Timbaland and co-producer Jim Beanz, marked pivotal moments in establishing Smollett’s onscreen role as the introspective and talented Jamal. But the upbeat “I Wanna Love You” and irresistibly sunny “You’re So Beautiful” — both co-written by Smollett — give audiences a sense of the actor’s off-screen musical abilities. (It should be no surprise that Smollett has signed a real-life deal with Columbia Records.)
As for actor-rapper Bryshere Gray — who goes by Yazz the Greatest — his musical contributions to the soundtrack are in line with his onscreen persona as youngest son Hakeem Lyon. That is, mostly shallow, and more rap parody than real rap. “Speakin’ of water, you fluid with the foolishness, just like H2O, without the 2 in it,” Yazz raps on “Can’t Truss Em.”