Tag: the no-hit wonder

I’ve never really been a big fan of contemporary country.  However, Memphis native Cory Branan may have converted me. Here’s my beef with country music – it either transforms a mud-caked truck or a morning fishing trip into an emotional upwelling, or there’s too much boom-boom for my speakers. There is nothing wrong with country music and nothing wrong with a barn party with a little Kenny Chesney on the side; it’s just not my cup o’ Joe. Maybe, I’m just listening to the wrong country music (I’m totally open to some recommendations).  But Branan seems to transform the genre with his fourth album, The No-Hit Wonder, and I can’t help but admire when someone brings something new to the table.

First, Branan’s voice is so simple and smooth; you can’t help but turn each song into a duet. Second, the album is so versatile! It opens with some classic honky-tonk inspired rhythms. “You Make Me” and “The No-Hit Wonder” follow a simple melody with simple lyrics that make the songs easy to enjoy, and the exuberance embodies the country spirit: good times and good people. “The Only You” has a singer-songwriter vibe that features soft acoustics and a piano that brings to mind Mumford & Sons.

Branan continues to keep his style unique and fresh with “C’mon Shadow,” which opens with what sounds like a ukulele, and “All I Got And Gone.”  Both show a slower, sweeter side of the album. “All The Rivers In Colorado” is a personal favorite with its flowing melody and harmonization, as Branan sings, “All the rivers in Colorado couldn’t wash you off my mind…”

The album ends differently than the way it started. The No-Hit Wonder ends with “The Meantime Blues,” a song that displays a rare style and is beautifully accomplished. “The Meantime Blues“ is perfectly sublime and appropriate for a lazy summer day when you’re sitting in your hammock, sitting on a dock, or sitting on your couch.

Cory Branan will be an essential name in the singer-songwriter genre and will surely be a more than one-hit wonder. The No-Hit Wonder comes out tomorrow on Bloodshot Records.

Love it – 5/5