Marc Broussard - "Save Me"

We're heading down to the Bayou for our song-of-the-weekend today.  Twenty-nine year old Marc Broussard hails from Carencro, Louisiana and is the son of acclaimed Louisiana Hall of Fame guitarist Ted Broussard. He as released five studio albums including the 2007 'Save Our Soul' album of classic R&B cover songs but he never has had all that much commercial success.  I first heard Broussard's music back in 2004 with the release of his album Carencro on which today's tune "Save Me" is featured.

While his music is sometimes referred to as "Bayou Soul", blogger Pico aptly points out on the blogcritics music site: 'Broussard isn't so much making his mark with the music of his native stomping grounds, though. He's doing it with a steadfast devotion to soul and the golden pipes to deliver it the way it's meant to be delivered. His affinity to R&B naturally comes from bring the son of the aforementioned Ted Broussard, who was a member of the local legend Gulf Coast blue-eyed-soul band 'The Boogie Kings.'

"Save Me" was the first of Broussard's songs to hook me.  It has a tremendous beat and perfectly reflects the combination of soul, spirituality and the bayou sound that permeates Broussard's work.  ENJOY!

Listen to "Save Me"

From the album 'Carencro'

Click here to view upcoming Marc Broussard tour dates.
Click here to view a video of Marc Broussard performing "Save Me" live.

Brett Dennen - "I Ain't Gonna Lose You"

Today we're offering up the unique folk-pop sounds of 31-year-old northern Californian Brett Dennen.  "I Ain't Gonna Lose You" is an all-out,desperate declaration of dedication.  It's one of those memorizing songs I've listened to a thousand times in my car, driving by myself, very loud.  The song starts out with a Lou Reed "Walk on the Wild Side" sort of vibe but then drifts into it's own as Dennen's unique vocals kick in.

Dennen's first album was his self-titled release in 2004. This year he released his fourth full-length studio album called 'Loverboy.'   Today's song-of-the-weekend selection comes from the 2008 album 'Hope For The Hopeless' which peaked at number 41 on the Billboard 200.  

Aaric Danielsen, writing on the Pop Matters music blog, says: Dennen’s music serves a bridge between the hippy-lite jams that pass for folk rock today and old-school folkies of the ‘60s and ‘70s who brought the goods as far as songwriting and social consciousness. It might not be an overstatement to say that Dennen could prove an important figure, hopefully turning younger listeners onto the goodness that can accompany thoughtful words and simple melodies sincerely sung. 

Even though this is a quiet song, for this one I'm gonna insist...turn it up loud.
Plus...I highly recommend the video link below...really gives you a better sense of the emotion Dennen exudes.
ENJOY!

Listen to "I Ain't Gonna Lose You" 
From the album 'Hope For The Hopeless' 

Click here to view Brett Dennen tour dates. 
Click here to view Brett Dennen "I Ain't Gonna Lose You" live video. 

Gomez - "See The World"

OK, so this British band from Southport, England comprised of five guys with the last names Ball, Ottewell, Gray, Blackburn and Peacock is called Gomez.  I never knew why until today.  Wikipedia has the story: The band played their first gig together in 1996 in Leeds at the Hyde Park Social Club on Ash Grove without a formal name. The band left a sign out which read "Gomez in here" for a friend of theirs whose surname was Gomez to indicate that it was the site of their first gig. People saw the sign and assumed that the band's name was Gomez - the name stuck.

Alright, now that the band name is all cleared up...
This group is one of the most difficult bands to categorize which is one of the reasons I like them so much.  I really appreciate bands/artists that can mix things up and play many different styles, sounds, genres, whatever you want to call it.  The fact of the matter is, no matter what the genre, I really believe there are only two kinds of music in this world: stuff you like and stuff you don't.  So, for me, this one falls into the former category.

Much of Gomez' music has a bit of a dark edge to it but not overly so.   "See the World," however, is perhaps their most upbeat recording.  It comes from the fifth of their seven studio albums, 'How We Operate' which was released in 2006.  They have actually had a good deal of commercial success in England and Australia but less so here in the U.S. where they have what could be categorized as a strong college radio following.

As always, I do recommend turning up the volume.
ENJOY and have a great weekend.

Listen to "See The World"
From the album 'How We Operate'

Click here for Gomez tour dates.
Click here to view Gomez "See The World" video.

Ryan Adams - "The Rescue Blues"

Ryan Adams' musical career confuses me.  He certainly has a fine musical reputation and has sold his fair share of records, but with 11 solo albums, 3 albums as the lead influence in his first band Whiskeytown, and numerous duo and collaborative efforts, I don't understand how is isn't more well known among the general public.  He really isn't a household name.  I would venture to guess that when you say his name most people would confuse it with that of Canadian songwriter Bryan Adams.  Please don't....we're talking about two very different types of animals here.

Rolling Stone magazine provides some background info on Adams:  "Ryan Adams was one of the most popular artists to emerge from the Nineties alternative-country scene, having led in the North Carolina band Whiskeytown before going solo in 1999. Notorious for his hard-drinking and mercurial temper, Adams nonetheless managed to turn out a prodigious catalog of acclaimed music, which ranged from gentle folk to soulful rock to hardcore punk. ...Over the course of his career, Adams also developed a reputation for being just as prolific with starlets as he was with music, at times being linked to stars like Winona Ryder, Alanis Morissette and Parker Posey. However, in March 2009, Adams married pop singer and actress Mandy Moore in a ceremony in Savannah, Georgia. While plagued by substance abuse problems early in his career, in 2006 Adams revealed he had kicked drugs and alcohol."

Our song-of-the-weekend selection really could have been any number of his fantastic tunes but we're going to go with "Rescue Blues" from his 2001 album 'Gold.'  ENJOY.

  Listen to "Rescue Blues" 

From the album 'Gold'

Ryan Adams currently does not have any tour dates scheduled.
Click here to view a video of Ryan Adams singing "Two."