Cory Marks is as unlikely a country music star as you are ever to come across. I’m sure they were saying the same about Keith Urban when he started as well. But Cory, while learning to appreciate artists like Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings from his parents’ record collection, garnered his own musical influences from the likes of Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, and fellow-countrymen Rush. His debut album, “Who Am I” continues to mash these influences together by featuring players such as Ivan Moody of Five Finger Death Punch, Travis Tritt, and Mick Mars of Mötley Crüe.
His previous releases, including “Devil’s Grin”, “Better Off” and “Blame It on the Double”, generate visual and aural images of Brooks and Dunn, Keith Urban, or even ZZ Top blaring from the honky-tonk juke box, with or without the bar-room brawl (picture the Blues Brothers band behind chicken-wire whilst all sorts of crud is launched at them), or from the front-of-house at the local boot-scoot (they still do that, right?). His biggest hit to date, Outlaws and Outsiders, which features Ivan Moody, is all Steve Earle “Copperhead Road” with Chad Kroeger on vocals and the heavier edge you would expect from Cory’s pedigree.
His biggest hit to date, Outlaws and Outsiders, is the sensible opener to “Who Am I”, followed by Devil’s Grin and a feel similar to Spiderbait’s version of Black Betty. You get the feeling that you already know what to expect from this record and then Blame It on the Double confirms it with the Earle / Kroeger combo on a lyric that reminds me of Kathy Bates’ role in The Waterboy.
Better Off is slower but no less rocky, and Drive maintains the rage, making you want to just go out and hit the highway so you can appreciate the wind in your hair, the music at full volume, and nowhere to go with nothing to do. Out in the Rain is a duet with Lzzy Hale of Halestorm, and isn’t this a powerful ballad, especially from Lzzy, and the string-section from the middle eight!
Good to be Us celebrates a relationship with so much in common, including partying on a Saturday night. The title track hints at less tempo, but only a hint, while Another Night in Jail mourns time in the big house, dialing back to get you in, then rocking it back up to the already-proven standard.
She’s Hollywood is only available to a lucky few as a bonus track and closes the set with the chunky foot-a-tappin’ tempo that celebrates punching above his weight as a redneck going back to his banjo-playin’ hillbilly ‘hood after his fling with Ms Hollywood that left more than a mark!
Cory Marks brings back memories of driving in the country with the radio up high, and the third Saturday of the month where I would feature Australian new country tunes on my radio show. It’s a great rockin’ record as happy in the suburbs as it is in the bush and all of it needs to be played loud- even the slower ones.
Get a load of Cory Marks‘ debut album “Who Am I through Better Noise Music by your favoured music-consumption method: you won’t be sorry!