As the boundaries that separate musical genres become fluid, it’s often hard to distinguish differences between styles and it can make much modern music oddly unsatisfying. Therefore, it’s rather refreshing that an artist such as Canadian country rock singer/songwriter Cory Marks is not only releasing kick ass albums in his chosen field, but is going from strength to strength. Album number three, Sorry For Nothing Vol. 1, finds Mr. Marks in fine fettle, releasing a certified stomper that should send his star shooting into the stratosphere.
To say that Cory Marks is “just” a country rock artist would be doing both him and the genre a disservice. As with heavy metal, country rock is a broad church that incorporates lots of subgenres and Cory draws deep from the well to create a multifaceted album, and one that never becomes staid. With an expansive sound that evokes images of sun kissed sand beneath bruised coloured skies, ‘(Make My) Country Rock’ is a bold and brash opener and one that makes it presence felt…and that’s exactly how a Cory Marks album should arrive. Of course, that it contains guest appearances from luminaries such as Mick Mars, Travis Tritt and Sully Erna doesn’t hurt at all and they conspire to create a song that swings with wrecking ball force. The only downside is that it’s just too darn short; it’s the kind of song that could continue into perpetuity, but true to the old adage, it certainly leaves the listener hungry for more.
This is an album that serves up plenty of rock action, such as the sublime soloing on ‘Fast As I Can’, yet Sorry For Nothing Vol. 1 is far from one-dimensional and introduces a distinctly carnival beat on ‘Drunk When I’m High’ before getting misty-eyed and poignant on ‘Tough To Be Strong’. It means that, without really trying, this album has a crossover appeal that’ll charm metalheads and country fans alike, and see some mainstream chart placing whilst adding to Cory’s astronomical tally of digital streams.
Sorry For Nothing Vol. 1 finds Cory Marks standing on the cusp of greatness and, personally, I can’t wait for the next instalment!
- Sorry For Nothing Vol. 1 is released via Better Noise Music on 6th December 2024.
Track List:
- (Make My) Country Rock
- Guilty
- Whiskey For Sale
- Sorry For Nothing
- Drunk When I’m High
- 17
- Fast As I Can
- Tough To Be Strong
- A Lot Like Me
- 1949
- Lit Up
- Late Night Of Drinking Again
- (Make My) Country Rock – Harder
- Learn To Fly
