Back in December last year, Cory Marks released “Sorry For Nothing Vol. 1”. It was brilliant — and MV described it as “if Nickelback played country”.
Now he’s back with Vol. 2, and it’s arguably even better.
Arena-dwelling southern rock is Cory Marks’ stock in trade, and as “Hangman” proves, he’s brilliant at it.
The riffs here are superb. If “Are You With Me?” isn’t a staple of his live sets, then I’m packing it in. There’s a redemption arc here too — “I’m a 12-year overnight sensation,” he sneers, as if straight at the doubters.
That attitude runs all the way through “Change The Game”. “I ain’t the same old s**t,” he declares, and there’s a punk spirit in there as well.
If he’s apologising for nothing, then country ballads don’t get much better than “The Heart Breaks When It Wants To” — a moment of tenderness among the bombast.
And bombast is something Cory Marks does damn well. Fancy a honky-tonk run by the Sons Of Anarchy? “Wild Ride” has it covered.
There’s still an Outlaw streak lurking too. Waylon would be proud of the bad choices laid bare on “Someone I Hate”.
“Whiskey River” shows what this could have been if the Ontario native had chosen to be a straight-up country star.
The acoustics stay out for the fabulous reflection of “Empty Bottles”, which makes “Pick Up The Phone” hit even harder. That one’s got a drum sound Def Leppard would kill for, no question.
“Different Kind Of Year” is the sort of warm, welcoming tune these albums always seem to include — and right now, “everybody laughing” sounds like a great idea.
The acoustic take on “Sorry For Nothing” makes the point plain: a great song is a great song, no matter the format.
Like Cory Marks says: “It’s just rock ’n’ roll.” And it is — but it’s also true to say that no one blends it with country better than he does.
Rating: 9/10
