Cory Branan
ADIOS
Reviewed by: Jane Roser
ADIOS is the album I’ll be playing on repeat all summer, no doubt about it-and considering this is the first Iconic rating I’ve given since October of last year, it’s well-deserved and worth the wait.
Cory Branan is one of those rare artists who can’t be pigeonholed into one genre- his last four albums were a casserole of country, punk, blues, pop, ballads and rock. ADIOS continues Branan’s tradition of keeping the listener on their toes- he’s never boring and you never know what gem may come next.
The self-produced LP was recorded last year at Tweed Studios in Oxford, MS with Robbie Crowell (Deer Tick) on drums, keys and horns, James Haggerty on bass, Amanda Shires on fiddle and guest vocals by Laura Jane Grace and Dave Hause.
“I Only Know” and “Yeah, So What” are catchy, happy-go-lucky songs reminiscent of Buddy Holly and The Everly Brothers, but with a wee touch of The Pogues and a kick-ass xylophone adding an exhilarating flourish mid-song (I never thought I’d be saying those words ever). The love-gone-wrong ballad “Imogene” has the storyteller recalling how “That summer night was freckled with fireflies/You had a look that I was either too young or too dumb to recognize” and concluding with all of the accusations his ex threw at him, but they were really both to blame and should both be held accountable because “…in the bottom of the wreckage we were one in the same.” I especially love how Branan describes her as “hemorrhaging light”, which is both sweet and slightly appalling.
Not one to shy away from difficult subject matter, Branan tackles race issues with “Another Nightmare In America”, but turns the tables and looks at it from the point of view of a racist cop killer and keeping with tradition, makes sure to include a witty repertoire about his deceased father. Branan’s 2014 album The No-Hit Wonder included a colorful song called “Daddy Was A Skywriter”. ADIOS has Branan’s apparently very talented father make another appearance on the nostalgic waltz “My Father Was An Accordion Player” and it’s the perfect bookend to a spellbinding record. One day I’ll need to ask him if his mom really did go out with Elvis.
Rating: Iconic
