"Treme Season 2" Soundtrack Lyrics

“Treme — Season 2 (Music from the HBO Original Series)” – Album Guide to Tracks and Key Scenes

Review

Can a TV drama skip a traditional score and still feel symphonic? Treme does — especially in Season 2, where the show’s musical backbone comes from performances captured in bars, streets, clubs, kitchens, and parades. The official compilation album bottles that energy: brass bands, R&B, trad jazz, Cajun reels, piano royalty, and a few inspired one-offs that only New Orleans could stage.

This season trades grief’s immediate sting for the grind of rebuilding. The music follows suit: second-line horns for defiance; Allen Toussaint school piano grooves for daily grace; Cajun chants when Carnival lore takes over; and crossover collisions like Galactic x Dirty Dozen x Juvenile for the city’s living mash-up. No underscore necessary — the city scores itself.

Genres & themes, in phases: brass band & second line — resilience and public joy; modern funk/hip-hop fusions — hustle, satire, present tense; piano tradition (Butler, Cleary, Dr. John, Torkanowsky, McDermott) — memory and mentorship; Cajun/Creole folk — lineage and ritual. Season 2’s arc moves from post-Katrina breath-catching toward Carnival and Jazz Fest release, and the album mirrors that path.

How It Was Made

Treme famously avoided a composed “score.” Music supervisor Blake Leyh curated, licensed, and staged in-world performances, letting source music carry drama beat-to-beat. The Season 2 compilation (Rounder/Concord) arrived April 2012 with 18 tracks recorded live on streets and in clubs, a deliberate snapshot of how the show — and the city — actually sound. HBO’s Season 2 Blu-ray even shipped with a feature that pops up song information as you watch, underscoring how central the cues are to storytelling.

Tracks & Scenes

Selected placements with context; episode titles in quotes. Timestamps vary by cut/region.

“From the Corner to the Block” (Galactic, Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Juvenile)

Where it plays:

“Accentuate the Positive” (S2E1). A sweaty late-night set at Tipitina’s explodes when Juvenile steps in and the Dirty Dozen horns answer back. The camera roves the floor — elbows up, cups high, bodies moving — while characters cross paths in the crush. Non-diegetic to diegetic bleed as dialog rides the mix.

Why it matters:

Season-opening declaration: tradition and modern New Orleans aren’t enemies — they’re bandmates.

“Sisters” (John Boutté)

Where it plays:

“Accentuate the Positive.” At the Spotted Cat, Boutté (who also sings the series theme) leads a tender, mid-tempo tune; Annie sits in, and the room hushes into harmony. It feels like neighbors singing to neighbors.

Why it matters:

A living-room scale reminder that Treme’s music isn’t only spectacle — it’s community glue.

“Accentuate the Positive” (Dr. John — end credits cue; also performed in-scene by John Boutté)

Where it plays:

“Accentuate the Positive.” Boutté carries a live rendition in-episode; Dr. John’s version rolls over credits, wry and warm. The lyric’s optimism arrives with a wink — hope, but hard-earned.

Why it matters:

Season 2’s thesis statement: a city choosing joy without forgetting bruises.

“Para Donde Vas” (The Iguanas)

Where it plays:

“Accentuate the Positive.” A house-cleaning gag turns into a shimmy; the tune’s bilingual swagger tracks a character trying (badly) to get his act together.

Why it matters:

Latino New Orleans is part of the show’s sonic map; this track threads that color through a comedic beat.

“I’ll Fly Away” (The Baby Boyz Brass Band)

Where it plays:

“Accentuate the Positive.” Jackson Square. A young horn player watches a brass band lift a hymn skyward. The camera lingers on faces — tourists, locals, buskers — as tuba and snare march the melody.

Why it matters:

Hymn as public school: a rookie learns by listening, like everyone here once did.

“Mr. Go” (Bonerama & Antoine Batiste)

Where it plays:

“Accentuate the Positive.” Bone choir and backbeat at a club set; Antoine sits in, jabbing lines between slides.

Why it matters:

Shows the show’s favorite trick — real bands, real rooms, cast folded into the gig.

“Carnival Time” (Al ‘Carnival Time’ Johnson & The Soul Apostles)

Where it plays:

Mid-season Carnival lead-up. Street footage and barroom cuts stitch together as beads, ladders, ladders, ladders, and brass announce the season.

Why it matters:

The city’s unofficial holiday theme — pure New Orleans muscle memory.

“La Danse de Mardi Gras” (Steve Riley with Steve Earle & the Eunice Revellers)

Where it plays:

Cajun country sequence tied to Courir de Mardi Gras ritual. Masked riders, capuchons, capers, and a long drone-call lead a chicken chase and a porch chorus.

Why it matters:

Grounds urban Carnival in its rural cousins — continuity beyond city limits.

“Frenchmen Street Blues” (Jon Cleary)

Where it plays:

Club crawl montage along Frenchmen Street. Keys sparkle; passing horns answer from outside like the sidewalk itself is playing backup.

Why it matters:

Piano tradition as wayfinding — every few blocks, another master at work.

“You Might Be Surprised” (Dr. John)

Where it plays:

Late-season epiphany beat: a character catches a break; another misses theirs. Dr. John’s sly strut delivers a grin and a side-eye.

Why it matters:

Mac Rebennack’s city-wise benevolence frames the show’s bittersweet end notes.

Finale texture: Jazz Fest & the street

Where it plays:

“Do Watcha Wanna” (finale). Fest stages, tent crowds, and second lines braid together; brass riffs punch through dialog, then claim the last word.

Why it matters:

Treme’s endgame each year is communal — the city sings itself out.

Notes & Trivia

• No score on purpose: The series relies on curated, often live-captured source music in place of traditional underscore — a stated creative choice.
• Liner-note city: The Season 2 Blu-ray includes a “Music of Treme” feature that pops up song data during episodes; you can watch and annotate in real time.
• Album snapshot: Rounder/Concord’s Season 2 release packs 18 performances recorded on streets and in clubs — not studio re-creations.
• Theme singer in the scene: John Boutté (voice of the show’s main title) appears on-screen in S2E1, leading “Accentuate the Positive.”
• One-night-only collab: The soundtrack’s Galactic x Dirty Dozen x Juvenile team-up is exactly the kind of cross-pollination the series loves to film.

Reception & Quotes

Season 2 drew praise for deepening the city-portrait while keeping music up front. Critics repeatedly pointed to the show’s “regional flavor” and live-music density as its signature.

“Ambitious, dense… retains the regional flavor that made it so intriguing.” — Season overview

“There is no score.” — on the show’s music philosophy

“A broad selection of New Orleans music… more than enough.” — Episode 1 review

Availability: Treme — Season 2 (Music from the HBO Original Series) released April 17, 2012 (Rounder/Concord). Streaming versions mirror the 18-track CD.

Interesting Facts

• Piano bench royalty: The album nods hard to NOLA’s piano lineage — Butler, Cleary, Dr. John, McDermott, Torkanowsky.
• Subtitles as liner notes: HBO’s text-info mode turns episodes into living discographies — a rare official acknowledgement of soundtrack nerdery.
• Cajun bridge: “La Danse de Mardi Gras” ties city Carnival to prairie traditions — the show sees one culture, many rooms.
• Theme in the room: Boutté’s live cameos blur the line between on-screen fiction and the real music community the series documents.
• Fest as finale: Season 2 ends where New Orleans breathes loudest — at Jazz Fest and in the streets.

Technical Info

• Title: Treme — Season 2 (Music from the HBO Original Series)
• Year: 2012 (album); Season 2 aired 2011
• Type: Various-artists compilation from in-scene/live performances; no traditional score
• Music supervision: Blake Leyh
• Label: Rounder / Concord (under license from HBO)
• Core artists on album: Hot 8 Brass Band; Galactic w/ Dirty Dozen Brass Band & Juvenile; John Boutté; David Torkanowsky & Lucia Micarelli; Tom McDermott; Henry Butler; Rebirth Brass Band; The Iguanas; The Radiators; Al “Carnival Time” Johnson; Steve Riley with Steve Earle & the Eunice Revellers; Aurora Nealand & The Royal Roses; Jon Cleary; Donald Harrison; Dr. John
• Selected notable placements: “From the Corner to the Block” (Tipitina’s throw-down); “Sisters” (Spotted Cat set); “Accentuate the Positive” (in-scene + end credits); “I’ll Fly Away” (Jackson Square); “Carnival Time” (parade montage); “La Danse de Mardi Gras” (Cajun ritual sequence)
• Home video: Season 2 Blu-ray/DVD released April–May 2012 with “The Music of Treme” text feature

Questions & Answers

Is there a composed score in Season 2?

No. The show uses curated source music and live performances instead of traditional underscore.

What’s on the official Season 2 album?

18 tracks spanning brass band, piano greats, funk/hip-hop fusions, Cajun standards and club/club-adjacent recordings captured in situ.

Where can I hear it?

Streaming services (digital) and the 2012 Rounder/Concord CD release mirror each other closely.

Who’s singing the show’s theme — and does he appear?

John Boutté sings the main title and appears in S2E1 performing at the Spotted Cat.

Does the Blu-ray help identify songs?

Yes. A “Music of Treme” mode displays song info during playback.

Key Contributors

Sources: Rounder/Concord album page & retail listing; Apple Music & Spotify album entries; WWOZ blog coverage; fan episode music logs; series overview & Season 2 home-video notes; critical recaps; artist bios.

November, 29th 2025