Cory Branan
There, There Little Heartbreaker

Cory Branan is one of the many well-kept secrets that the United States of America can boast in the musical field; artists from “remote” corners, relatively speaking, artists whose offerings are a bit too endemic to be successfully exported abroad, and who remain more or less niche products even in the domestic market, despite a traditional offering that does not deviate at all from the dear, old canons of the Song Form and from much-tried and deeply-rooted sounds. Artists who record for independent labels, but whose attitude and offering are also not well-suited for the other path to fame, that of alternativism.

Cory Branan comes from a place where I wouldn’t live even if they offered me a villa with a pool: North Mississippi, on the border with Tennessee; rural area, impoverished, forgotten by time, Deep South as Deep South as it can get. Born in 1974, a skilled acoustic guitarist, active since the early 2000s; given that the enigmatic and intriguing cover of this album was designed by him, I would say that his creative talent goes beyond music. Moreover, a perfect image to represent an offering that is rooted in tradition but offers a personal interpretation, broad in scope, not lacking a certain taste for theatricality and a slight visionary touch.

“Mutt” of 2012 is a great album, which I obviously recommend: besides the obvious rock and blues influences, it also offers impeccably crafted folk ballads, gospel and western influences, and even gypsy reminiscences in a small masterpiece called “The Snowman.” Of course, there is also a base of American radio rock, a very sui generis “southern,” very reflective, not noisy, with no emphasis on any “technical” connotation. In short, an artist with a lot to offer, and the song that inspired me to write these lines alone earns my admiration and gratitude.

“There, There Little Heartbreaker” is, perhaps, one of the most beautiful love songs I have ever had the chance to hear; I say perhaps because I am far from certain that it is actually a love song, although the first emotional impression is certainly that. Everything stems from a warm and raspy voice, which here almost loses its unmistakable southern accent to better adapt to the proposed sounds and metrics. Indeed, from someone who comes from rural Mississippi, and who nevertheless hasn’t “escaped” to some “chic” circle in California or New York, but remained very attached to his roots, this isn’t really the type of song one would expect. Orchestrations of very “classic” taste, a three-quarter rhythm, almost like a lullaby, almost like a sing-song, a text that offers painful, tormented images, but not very clear, open to various interpretations. This song flows like a continuous succession and intertwining of echoes, a wonderful and poignant melody and a chilling voice, propagated many times, and with each “turn” captures more and more.

Masterpiece, simply, of a timeless charm and beauty; “There, There Little Heartbreaker” will never be famous, it is destined to remain, like its author himself, a well-kept secret, a treasure that those passionate and/or fortunate enough to have found it can enjoy in peace. A little curiosity: Cory Branan’s latest album is titled “The No-Hit Wonder”; a name, a vocation.