by Jane Roser
A dash of punk, a swirl of country and a bucketload of awesome is the best way to describe singer/songwriter Cory Branan’s fourth album, The No-Hit Wonder, produced by Paul Ebersold and released August 19th on Bloodshot Records.
Returning to his Southern roots with a more nostalgic appreciation of home and family, the album mixes sweet tradition with gritty rock and blues, which is basically a snapshot of the music Branan grew up with in Mississippi.
“I was surrounded by music in general, but I went as far away from [trad music] as I could; I was into metal and punk before I made my way back to any sort of roots music. To me there’s not much difference as far as punk and country in the purest forms, they just have the least amount of bullshit.”
At 14 years old Branan began playing guitar, then ten years later started writing songs, which is when he first discovered the music of John Prine. “That was the first time I heard poetry be conversational and dry and deceptively simple, it really struck me.”
Recording and mixing The No-Hit Wonder in Nashville, the initial tracks went down quickly, as Branan prefers to complete them within two takes. After the second day of recording, he fell ill and couldn’t sing for several months; add a tour on top of that and by the time he’d returned home to finish the album it was winter.
“The point of my records today is that they’re a little more scattered and this one’s more relaxed,” says Branan, “I did put some older songs on here, there are three that’ve been around for awhile and they finally fit on an album. I’m not patient, usually as soon as I write a song I want to play it-I’ve been playing some new songs on this tour, but with YouTube nowadays, something’s released after you’ve played it once.” Branan laughs thinking about some of the crappy iPhone recordings out there and adds, “for better or for worse.”
Having friends perform on his albums has become a tradition. This record includes the cream of the crop- Jason Isbell, Caitlin Rose, Tim Easton, Austin Lucas, Craig Finn and Steve Selvidge of The Hold Steady all contributing on vocals while some of the best bad-ass players in town (Audley Freed, John Radford, Sadler Vaden and Robbie Turner) weave in whiplash guitar riffs and traditional bass lines.
“I always have my buddies sing on my records, they’re just a little more high-profiled friends at the moment,” laughs Branan, “I try to put them in places where there going to shine. For instance, I needed a harmony vocalist (on “Sour Mash”) that had grit and not every voice is like that, but Tim Easton was perfect. Then Jason, of course came in and nailed it. I told him, since you’re here, I actually have two songs and he knocked that one out, too.”
Steve Selvidge is an old friend, but Branan had never met Craig Finn before Selvidge brought him into the studio one day. “I had written all these parts at the end of the song (the title track) and I told Craig there’s a part on here if you want to try it. He was really kind and literally sang on my record 20 minutes after I met him.”
Branan’s songs are known for their brilliant, poetic lyrics (singer/songwriter Chuck Ragan has called him “the greatest songwriter of our generation”) and he has a quick wit to boot. When I mention a quote I’d found in which a reviewer states, “I’ve been a fan of Branan’s music and lethal ability to go from sentimental to sarcastic and back again without missing a beat,” Branan quips, “oh, my mom’s writing on the internet again.”
“Daddy Was A Skywriter” is an unexpected, witty tune that was inspired by Branan’s folks. “The old man was a jet mechanic for FedEx, but it’s more of a metaphor for a difficult, stoic Southern father. There’s not a lot of talking there; he had a big heart and was a good man, but I got the image of a skywriter being [a good job] for a man of few words. The other half of the song ‘s about my mother and she loves the baby Jesus,” then Branan laughs, “and I’ve disappointed them both in different ways.”
Branan lost his dad after writing this song and his mom told him she was going to get a double headstone and chisel the chorus onto it. “I told her: Jesus mom, you just stick around and I’ll write a better one than that!”
Praised for his wildly entertaining live shows, Branan has learned not to plan a single thing when it comes to performing because “once I start thinking about it, I can’t use the room or make split second decisions, so I just roll with the night as it goes on and let the show happen. I don’t understand how anyone can expect an audience to be entertained if they (the artist) aren’t entertained themselves.”
Making a stop at Boot & Saddle September 30th, Branan enjoys playing Philly shows, “once I can find a fucking parking space,” he laughs. “Philly is fantastic; they don’t walk in and wait for the show to start happening, Philly seems to always bring the show with them. I feed off whatever energy I get and they’re a live wire.”
Cory Branan is a storyteller in the simplest terms; writing about what he enjoys and what interests him at the moment. He injects honesty, blood, sweat and tears into his lyrics and keeps you teetering on the edge of your seat for what’s coming next.
As John Prine laments in “Angel From Montgomery”: “How the hell can a person go to work in the morning and come home in the evening and have nothing to say?” Branan will always have something to say and we’d all be better off to take a deep breath and just listen.
