Double GRAMMY® Award-winning, multi-platinum-certified singer-songwriter, lead guitarist and co-founding band member of Hootie & The Blowfish, Mark Bryan drops his latest long player, Popped, a multi-genre collection of songs via Vere Music.
“I’m finding different ways to write songs and that takes you to different places stylistically… I get an idea, and I’m just following the feel of the song in my head. It’s like I’m making a painting, I just let it guide me. What comes out on the back end is way more fun and exhilarating when you follow that process, rather than sticking to some defined sound or style that you’re trying to accomplish. I’d much rather explore a little bit. At the end of the day, it always comes out sounding like me,” says Bryan.
“Keep The Light On” and “Big Bright” are the most recent songs released in advance of Bryan’s fifth solo album. Popped spans a panoply of stylistic flavors, from Americana and folk ballads to Caribbean pop, doo wop, and hefty rockers.
Encompassing a dozen tracks, entry points on Popped include the Beach Boys-like “Coastin’,” a smooth, gently swaying song topped by soft, delicious vocals. This song is perfect for cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway on a warm afternoon.
Blending SoCal soft rock surfaces tinted with psychedelic textures, “Big Bright” conjures up vague suggestions of The Byrds, with its drifting feel and dreamy vocals harking back to the late ‘60s.
A brassy, reggae track, “Keep The Light On” rides a one-drop beat topped by skiffing guitars and lush brass accents that give the tune an upbeat motion. Bryan’s rich vocals imbue the lyrics with quixotic tones.
Another gem, “Don’t Change a Thing” rolls out on a cool Latin-laced rhythm as silky vocals, especially on the chorus, give the tune a radiant glow. The glossy bray of a marvelous saxophone infuses the song with voluptuous blushes.
Full of thick guitars, “Place on the Dark Side” reveals Bryan’s vocal range, offering deeper timbres colored by darker tones. Bryan finishes the album off with “Katie O,” featuring a doo wop melody brimming with lightly bouncing harmonics that exude hints of big band dynamics.
On Popped, the accomplished singer-songwriter unwinds a wonderfully diverse record. It’s one of the best of his career.
