The show presents an exciting competition among songwriters who get the chance to appear to the world. In each episode, we see new participants perform in front of three big music producers and a well-known artist.
Your first reaction may be: Wouldn't it be kind of boring to watch a show about the art of writing songs? But "Songland" has done everything in its power to make sure it's got mass appeal.
Songland is a show you can dip in and out of, depending on how much you like the guest artist of the week. But when you do tune in, you'll get a satisfying reality competition experience.
Songland underscores the unique way that songwriters serve as storytellers, and how they must adapt their work to the business while still expressing the emotions and feelings that will resonate with listeners.
As a representation of how a song gets better, Songland is fine if not demystifying, but it makes for for cold, deeply dehumanizing reality television.
It's likely a very accurate depiction of what it takes not merely to break into a risk-averse industry but also to write songs for an artist with a clearly defined persona of his own. But that doesn't make it, necessarily, TV worth turning your chair for.
