The films paint such a remarkable portrait of an unfair legal system and a closed-minded culture that the album's inability to tap into these themes makes it even more disappointing. Three undercuts the case's underlying argument about the need for personal and creative freedom. When a band does confront the case's issues directly, however, the results tend to be toothless. The covers of classic heavy metal tunes don't fare much better. Even the high-profile contributors don't sound particularly galvanized by the events.
Bright spots do emerge.
Still, because of the inclusion of Earle, Waits, and Eddie Vedder, one can't help drawing comparisons with another compilation they worked on, the Dead Man Walking soundtrack. Free of the knee-jerk politicizing evident on Free the West Memphis Three , that soundtrack eloquently ruminated on the nature of justice, crime, and redemption. In contrast, Free the West Memphis Three doesn't offer anything new. There's more food for thought there than anywhere here. All rights reserved.