ABC’s Nashville and NBC’s Smash are both soapy and occasionally ridiculous shows that employ some surprisingly serious music. Nashville is in the middle of its debut season and Smash’s second season starts yesterday (February 5), so now’s the perfect time to size up their musical output. After all, it’s the songs that provide the emotion and power for these two series — partly because Broadway and country have crossed over from sizable niche markets into the mass pop arena (we see you, Tay-Tay!), and partly because the storylines alone are thin and, sometimes, downright silly.
