There is something good cooking in the Deep South and it isn't fried chicken - it's Marc Broussard, a singer and songwriter extraordinaire who is finally finding success in the music world.
Broussard's second CD, "Carencro," released on Aug. 3, is a cross between pop, rock and soul, as it mixes these styles together to create a beautiful blend of rich melodies and lyrics for spending an evening with friends or a romantic evening with that special someone. Broussard becomes, as he says on his Web site, "a white boy singing soul music."
All the songs are visions of a star-crossed lover trying to find his soul mate, searching for that one person. And although this may sound highly clich?d, the theme matches his soulful, sweet voice, which has the tone of Gavin DeGraw.
Broussard, who penned all 11 songs on his second album, grew up in Carencro, La., which the album is named for. He began playing guitar at age five with his father, Hall of Fame guitarist Ted Broussard, and sang in church.
Broussard finds his influences from such artists as Brian McKnight, Stevie Wonder and even Dave Matthews. Broussard plays acoustic guitar on most of his songs, adding to his credibility as a multi-talented artist.
Probably one of the best songs on the album is "Lonely Night in Georgia," which begins with a country pop feel and boasts some western-inspired lyrics about a man driving through the countryside, the wind in his hair, waiting for his love.
Listeners can almost see him in his car with the top down as Broussard sings, "Stoplights turn into skylines /And my mind turns to you / Two hundred miles behind / Off to this roadside dive /Wondering how this cup of coffee's gonna see me through / But this has been our story, same sad song / Ever since the day, the day you came along."
The imagery makes the song come alive and provides visuals for those who enjoy listening to music at 4 a.m. while trying to write a paper due that morning.
One song that has gotten its share of radio play, is "Where You Are," a pop-driven song about being with that special someone. It is an uptempo melody that does not preach about having to work to make love last, but instead invokes images of different areas of the country as one man travels everywhere while just wanting to be with the one he loves.
With powerful lyrics, Broussard proclaims, "I've stood alone in New York City / I watched the sunset in L.A. / I ride for miles and miles and end up getting nowhere / But I've never felt this way." The listener almost finds himself on a cross-country trip in a search to find the place to settle down with his soul mate.
In this generation, when artists write their own songs, they tend to infuse them with so much rhyme, that they begin to sound like a Dr.
Seuss book. Broussard, on the other hand, takes the rhyme and makes it more complex, hidden within the lyrics, so that listeners can almost miss it, making him sound more as though he's singing from the heart, rather than reading from a child's novel.
Between the writing, strumming, singing and his musical roots, Broussard proves he has the musical savvy and ability to go far in his career. His music can be in the background or setting the mood for a romantic evening, but no matter what the circumstance, this CD is definitely a worthwhile purchase.
