Cory Branan - Mutt

Half a song into his set and I lifted myself from my seat, wandered over to the small merch table and bought Cory Branan's 'Mutt'.

That how much of an initial impact he had, and as the gig continued the quality of his material, and equally the quality of the performance. didn't dip once.

The album itself was going to have a great deal to live up to, but here I am letting it wash over me, and the benchmark that the live performance set is being met with ease.

There's a melting pot of influences on display.

Mellencamp, Springsteen, some Tom Waits, hell there's even Springsteen filtered through the Gaslight Anthem in there amongst some of the more well known country stars who Cory has used as a springboard to leap forward from.

With whiskey soaked vocals, some classy guitar and a poetic lyrical approach he manages to convey a real sense of blue collar drama.

Ordinary everyday experiences are elevated to a level that holds a great deal more artistic integrity.

While avoiding the depths that Bukowski would plumb to, or attempting to portray life as a chain of positive opportunities, he instead concentrates on focussing on the trials and tribulations of everyday relationships, and how many of us get from one day to the next.

In doing that he's providing us with something that is somewhat recognizable whether you come from Mississippi or Mauchline (Look it up on google), and the familiarity to the everyday aspects is something that we can all hang our hats on.

If I had a porch, a rocking chair, a Jack Daniels and a sunset, then this album would be the perfect accompaniment.