Carencro

Marc Broussard

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 3, 2004)
• Original Release Date: August 3, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Island
• ASIN: B0002IQIG0
• Also Available in: Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (119 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #4,943 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #25 in	Music > R&B > Soul > Blue-Eyed Soul
  #89 in	Music > Blues > Contemporary Blues

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Carencro, named for Marc Broussard's Louisiana hometown, is at times a swamp-pop masterpiece, with leadoff track "Home" stealing the mud-crusted show. What happens in the 11 songs that follow, though, could redeem major record labels from their bullying reputations. Because instead of shoving this pop/rock/soul/R&B wunderkind in the right direction--that being the direction that center-spears his gift for channeling greats like Sam Cooke, John Hiatt, and Stevie Wonder in the space of a single song--whoever was in charge let him wander, and what resulted is a collection that, while hugely promising, fails to measure up to his big, baritoney talent. The songwriting is troublesome in spots ("I know you can break these chains/and set me free," from "Save Me"), and the genre shifts, while fun ("Saturday" is a '70s-style, horn-studded affair), can be jarring. For next go-round, fans--he will earn them, and deservedly, with this disc--should keep their fingers crossed that "Home" is where his heart is. --Tammy La Gorce

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 102 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I say, "The Best Album I've Heard in '04"!, December 11, 2004

By	Kevin Currie-Knight "PhD Student in Education" (Newark, Delaware) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

In a year where John Meyer and Jason Mraz have scored big with quality songs and a "boy meets guitar" image, it is a travesty that Marc Broussard has not experienced similar sucess. Maybe the reason is that Broussard's label chose to release "Where You Are" as its lead single, even though it is nowhere close to the best song on this amazing album. Maybe it is because while Broussard's voice - chock full of Louisiana soul - is second to none, it may be a bit too 'raw' for radio. Whatever the reason, Marc Broussard may be the best artist few people have heard of.

But he fully deserves to be 'heard of!' I do not take my proclomation that this is the best album of '04 lightly, but this CD really does deserve to grace your CD shelf.

First, there is Broussard's vocal talent. I cannot truthfully think of but a handful of vocalists that match Broussard in combining pure soul with a rock-and-roll grit. (Sometimes, it is Stevie Wonder; others, it is Joe Cocker.) Next, there are the songs. Rare is the album one can listen to all the way through and encounter no 'filler' material. This disc is a rarity in the sense that while the strong tracks are infectious, even the weaker tracks beat the pants off those you would hear on most albums. In other words, the CD is completely listenable, and Broussard's songwriting talent (he co-wrote all the tracks) is obvous.

My favorites are Home (a southern-drenched and scorchingly funky rock tune), Rocksteady (a poppish tune with an uneniable melody) Come Around (an old-school R&B track that SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST SINGLE!!!) and Hope For Me Yet (the obligatory but necessary pop ballad THAT SHOULD BE THE SECOND SINGLE!!!).

Good album. So stop reading my review, and buy it already!

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best Talent to Come out of Louisianna Since the 2003 Tigers, August 13, 2005

By	George McAdams (Alabama, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Marc Broussard, along with Will Hoge and Michael Tolcher, is part of a trio of southern singer/songwriter/performers who is sparking a rebirth of "The Southern" performer as the magnetic point for great music that hasn't been seen since the early 1970's when the Allman Brothers, et. al., were in their infancy.

Marc's greatest strength is a voice that is part growl, part syrup, and part silky pleasure. His songs aren't the type that are either hit or miss, all of them are good, but some, such as "Come Around" and "Rocksteady," lack the depth of "Home" or "The Beauty of You."

As a performer, he is at another level than the studio CD's communicate to the listener, sort of like drinking a "hot totty" with ones favorite dark Jamaican rum versus mere rum flavor added to ones coffee.

Would I buy the CD again? Sure would! And, I'd recommend it to any and everyone who like the sound of Southern rock. I'd also recommend you take-in one of his shows and grab one of his "live" CD's.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Almost great CD......Almost, August 4, 2004

By	Pat Short (Apex, NC USA) - See all my reviews

Let me start by saying that I love the man's voice. I was not too thrilled with the studio sound on the previous release, Momentary Setback, but some of the songs came across really well, even under all of the studio trickery.

That being said, I'd heard that Carencro would be a much more organic sounding CD, and that I completely agree with. This CD, music wise, is very, very good. Lyric-wise, however, I feel this CD is lacking alot. I know some of them are meant to be feel-good songs, but I can't help but wonder if some of his lyrics were written for the pop crowd. That being said, he has one of the most powerful voices I've ever heard, especially in a 22-year old white boy. And he has more soul than a lot of people twice his age. So I give him huge props for that. Here's the breakdown:

Home - If the rest of the CD sounded this damn good, I'd be saying this CD is one of the top CD's of the decade. Brilliant, brilliant work. His voice gave me chills, the music is top notch, and the song is wonderful. 10/10

Rocksteady - Maybe I'm just not a big party person, but this song makes me feel embarrassed to hear sometimes. I know, this is a much-beloved song around here, but I cannot latch on to this one single bit. 2/10

The Beauty of Who You Are - Very soulful, very smooth song. I love to listen to this, regardless of whether or not it sounds like a boy-band song. Great stuff...... 8/10

Save Me - Good song. Has a good rhythm and really moves well. 7/10

Where You Are - I don't know why he chose this as a single because, as someone else put it, it doesn't sound like him at all. It also is one of the weaker tracks on the CD. But, it might bring him enough of the younger fans to make an impact. I hope so 4/10

Come Around - Another good song, good rhythm track, very good vocally 7/10

Lonely Night in Georgia - Damn, this song is nice. This is another one of those brilliant performances that just makes my hair stand on end. The only thing lacking is that I feel he could have gone just a little bit farther, vocally. I guess we have to wait for the live version 9.5/10

Saturday - See "Rocksteady" 2/10

The Wanderer - I would like to say that I like this one slightly better on this CD than "Momentary Setback". But it's close. The end really sold me on this version, though. That man has more soul than any other white boy I know. 9/10

Hope For Me Yet - Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. Good lyrics, good melody, good everything. 9/10

Let Me Leave - This song really moved me the first time I heard it. His voice just seemed to hover over the music in a way that is very calm, yet pained at the same time. Another brilliant track 9.5/10

Gavin's Song - Beautiful. That's all you need to know. 9.5/10

So, for the most part, I really like this CD. Although I don't like a couple of the songs, the rest of the album makes up for it. This man could have been in Motown back in the day and stood up with some of the big dogs. I just hope he keeps it up. It looks like he's on the right track.