{"id":4046,"date":"2017-07-09T15:42:28","date_gmt":"2017-07-09T15:42:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/?p=4046"},"modified":"2017-07-09T15:42:28","modified_gmt":"2017-07-09T15:42:28","slug":"cory-branan-adios-cd-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2017\/07\/09\/cory-branan-adios-cd-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Cory Branan- Adios- CD review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by James Killen<\/p>\n

\"adios\"<\/a>A friend led me to Cory Branan\u2019s CD, \u201cMutt\u201d, right after it came out and I have been an avid fan ever since. His diversity of styles, his witty lyrics, his high energy and his guitar virtuosity place him right at the top of my watch list for new releases, so I preordered \u201cAdios\u201d and waited anxiously for its arrival. I was not disappointed.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdios\u201d mixes Branan\u2019s purely original songs with songs that he seems to have written as tributes to artists that have influenced his own musical journey. \u201cI Only Know\u201d features lyrics in Cory\u2019s witty, defiant style over a melody that could easily have been one of Buddy Holly\u2019s. Imagery fills the lyrics of \u201cImogene\u201d, about a relationship that went bad and features a horn section that fits the bittersweet mood. If you can imagine Bruce Springsteen growing up in Virginia, you have a pretty good idea of the sound on \u201cBlacksburg\u201d, a song about a small town prostitute. Robbie Crowell even channels the spirit of Clarence Clemons for a feisty saxophone solo.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, So What\u201d fits a cocky pick up line to a Ramones style rhythm line with an organ fill that reminds me of Joe \u201cKing\u201d Carrasco. There is a Tom Petty ring to \u201cYou Got Through\u201d about the confused feelings left from a one night stand. Branan wanes country on a tribute to his father, \u201cThe Vow\u201d. There are memories of JJ Cale aroused on the bluesy, \u201cWalls, MS\u201d. Again, Cory relies on descriptive imagery for a very bluesy waltz, \u201cCold Blue Moonlight\u201d, which boasts some bold haunting guitar stylings with a Hammond B3 fill.<\/p>\n

\"codybranan\"<\/a>Branan rocks it with his witty state of the union address, \u201cAnother Nightmare in America\u201d with lines like \u201cWe\u2019ve hollowed out our Bibles to hide our golden guns\u201d. \u201cChameleon Moon\u201d chronicles a conversation between a bartender and a victim of a recent heartbreak in a bar full of veterans of broken hearts. Branan stays in the barroom for the tale of an older woman drinking and hanging on to the memory of a lover long ago on \u201cEquinox\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t Go\u201d is a romantic chronicle of a couple\u2019s relationship and marriage that starts just before World War II and lasts until death. The tempo picks up again for \u201cVisiting Hours\u201d about a rocky relationship in the music business. \u201cMy Father was an Accordion Player\u201d is a waltz about a man bitter about having his \u00a0music career passed over by the coming of rock and roll, leaving him to play local parties.<\/p>\n

\u201cAdios\u201d addresses themes of death and loss, losing loved ones, either from failed relationships or to the end of life. Even though Branan goes out of his way to use musical styles of his own influences on a number of these tunes, a number of them are just pure Cory Branan and they all feature his adept wordsmithing. This disc is a great addition to Mr. Branan\u2019s portfolio and I highly recommend it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by James Killen A friend led me to Cory Branan\u2019s CD, \u201cMutt\u201d, right after it came out and I have been an avid fan ever since. His diversity of styles, his witty lyrics, his high energy and his guitar virtuosity place him right at the top of my watch list for new releases, so… <\/p>\n

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