Like most compilations, there are a few stand-out tracks, like Joan Armatrading's "The Weakness and Me" and Frances' Faye's "Frances and Her Friends," and a few weaker ones, like Joseph Collett's "Blue Sky," but for the most part, almost all of the songs brings something to the table. Only three of the tracks are by male singers, and of those, only "Hallelujah" makes a big impression (although I fear some Shrek fans will start envisioning green lesbians when they're listening to that song on this soundtrack).

It might have been nice if the soundtrack had included some of better-known songs used in the series or in promos, like Melissa Etheridge's "Breathe" and the Indigo Girls' "Closer to Fine," but on the other hand, many of us have heard those songs so often in other environments that perhaps they would mar the soundtrack's ability to remind us of The L Word every time we listen to it, which the compellation is likely to do for most of us.

Although the soundtrack does not include the techno-dot music which serves as the opening credits for the series, at least a few of the songs are successful at evoking the series at the very first note. Marianne Faithful's "The Pleasure Song," for example, immediately brings you back to the opening of the long-awaited and oft-viewed pilot episode, when we were first introduced to the characters on The L Word, and Lucinda Williams' "Right in Time" will remind many Jenny and Marina fans of the first time the two women slept together.

Other songs are a pleasure for their outright quirkiness, like "Frances and Her Friends" and even Connie Francis' "Everybody is Somebody's Fool." And although it's not a major song in the series, just knowing "Genius" is co-written by Leisha Hailey is likely to make many Alice fans happy. In short: there are lots of good reasons to like this soundtrack.

To assist in your listening pleasure, here's a short list of the songs on the soundtrack and their corresponding episodes scenes--enjoy!

#	Performer	Song Title	L Word Episode	Description
1.	The Murmurs	Genius	1.12 "Locked Up"	background during a Jenny/Robin scene
2	Lucinda Williams	Right In Time	1.3 "Longing"	closing - Jenny-Marina love scene
3	Ella Fitzgerald	Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)	1.2 "Let's Do it"	closing - after Marina leaves Jenny and Tim's dinner party and Jenny insists she doesn't have a crush on Marina
4	Fantcha	Sol Ja Camba	1.9 "Luck, Next Time"	opening - making the "Jesus Is In Me" art video
5	Joan Armatrading	The Weakness in Me	1.11 "Looking Back"	closing - Tina returns from the Dinah Shore weekend and embraces Bette in her office at the CAC (and Bette at first thinks it's Candace).
6	Connie Francis	Everbody's Somebody's Fool	1.5 "Losing It"	opening - cop arresting guy in diner
7	Shelley Campbell	Drivin' You	1.10 "Liberally"
8	The Be Good Tanyas	In Spite of the Damage	1.06 "Losing It"	closing - Jenny sitting beside a mailbox
9	Rufus Wainwright	Hallelujah	1.10 "Liberally"	closing - after Bette's altercation with Faye Buckley on television
10	Kinnie Starr	Alright	1.7 "L'Ennui"	Jenny-Marina love scene
11	Jason Collett	Blue Sky	1.8 "Listen Up"	Background during Jenny-Annette conversation
12	Marianne Faithful	The Pleasure Song	Pilot	opening - various scenes introducing the characters and L.A.
13	Joseph Arthur	In the Sun	1.13 "Limb From Limb"	montage of Bette/Tina sex, Jenny with Robin and Gene, and Alice going up to Dana's house to tell her not to marry Tanya
14	Frances Faye	Frances and Her Friends	1.12 "Locked Up"	opening - beluga whale/"manatees" scene

Get The L Word Soundtrack now!