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Marc Broussard
Keep Coming Back
Review By Andy Argyrakis
He may switch labels with every full-length CD released, but third time appears to be the charm for Marc Broussard, who recently inked a deal with Atlantic after time on Vanguard and Island. Perhaps the label’s extensive lineage inspired the singer-songwriter because he’s finally been able to translate an alluring stage presence into the studio, weaving the latest batch around smoky blue-eyed soul and New Orleans-inspired R&B. It may seem like a stretch for a twenty-something white guy, but he’s actually quite authentic when addressing those genres, stemming from a personal upbringing in the Crescent City. Sure, it’s a formula already attempted on recent albums from Paolo Nutini and Paddy Casey, but Broussard’s clearly best of the bunch thanks to the swamp romp “Hard Knocks” and the sassy, brass-smacked title track. Outside of excelling as an expository songwriter (most notably on the empowering cries of “Power’s In the People” and the vulnerable “Another Night Alone”), Broussard also steps up his six-string strums to the next level (especially on the afternoon acoustics of “Going Home”).
Other strides include the Al Green-oriented “Saying I Love You,” plus the unabashed old school country of “When It’s Good” (featuring special guest LeAnn Rimes). A collaboration with Sara Bareilles come “Why Should She Wait” is a little less inviting, if only for his partner’s pedestrian leanings, which stand in stark contrast to Broussard’s Bayou Soul sauntering. Still, the main performer picks up the pieces with the sparse but intimate and immediate “Evangeline Rose,” which was quite possibly cut live in the studio. In any case, Keep Coming Back marks an impressive career transition for someone who’s had no trouble connecting in concert and now also during personal playback.
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