I was on a course the other day. You know the drill. The trainer had a topknot, and they teach you stuff I already knew.
His big idea was to keep a notebook open on your phone so you wouldn’t forget any good ideas. Like, cheers, pal. Never thought of that.
The problem is this: when you come up with a good idea for a review intro on the way to work, what do you do then? You’re driving around the roundabout and “Lit Up” hits you, and you go, “If Nickelback played country, it’d be like this.”
Of course, the actual intro was better than this, but the point is still valid.
Cory Marks has been doing this for a while—his debut, “Who I Am,” was a statement. And “Sorry For Nothing” starts with one. “(Make My) Country Rock” does exactly that—as well as featuring Mick Mars (you might have heard of him).
He likes special guests. does Marks. DL of Bad Wolves appears on “Guilty,” and the song is more modern metal than Grand Ole Opry. If he’s hard to pin down, then “Whiskey For Sale” blurs the lines further, while the title track is the sort of thing that Chad Kroeger and the lads excel at, but it’s unmistakably country.
Basically, these are all anthems in their way. “Drunk When I’m High” has a Three Days Grace feel, and the reflective ones like “17” will find a home in the hearts of not just Middle America, but Middle everywhere.
There are fun ones—”Fast As I Can” could have been on any Jason Aldean record—there are stoic ones, like the mid-paced “Tough To Be Strong,” and there’s a massive statement of intent. Put it this way: if “Lot Like Me” isn’t ringing out like a clarion call in arenas everywhere, then I don’t know what to tell you.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s country rock, or both; Marks excels. “1949” is a tearjerker, while “Late Night Of Drinking Again” is as old-timey as country gets. The thing is, sandwiched in between them is the aforementioned “Lit Up,” which couldn’t be more testosterone-driven rock if it tried.
And that continues on the bonus tracks. First up is another version of “(Make My) Country Rock,” suffixed “HARDER.” Travis Tritt and Sully Erna of Godsmack strut all over this one, though. And the last one is a country-tinged take on Foo Fighters’ “Learn to Fly.”
And if arena rock is the aim, then he’s nailed it. It’s worth thinking of the words of Riki Ratchman, ex of the Cathouse club and Headbangers Ball. He argued in a documentary about 80s rock that when Nirvana hit, people who didn’t like grunge essentially migrated to country.
Meet the man who took that thought and ran with it. “Sorry For Nothing Vol. 1” is as unapologetic as it gets.
Rating: 9/10
REVIEW: CORY MARKS – SORRY FOR NOTHING (VOL 1) (2024)
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