Marc Broussard – Chance Worth Taking
Keeping The Blues Alive Records
14 Tracks – 61 minutes
Marc Broussard got an early start playing music. His father is in the Louisiana Hall of Fame as the guitarist for The Boogie Kings. As a result, Marc was involved in the Louisiana music scene at a very young age. His home in Lafayette, Louisiana was a hotbed of music and encouraged Marc’s involvement in the local scene consistently through his adult life. He recorded his first EP at age 20 and many albums have followed. Several of his recent albums have been independently recorded in support of charities. Most recently he has recorded five albums to support the Save Our Soul Foundation, a charity that provides needy poor children help “to achieve their potentials in a safe, positive and nurturing environment. The S.O.S. albums are albums that feature song covers. S.O.S. V: Songs of the 50’s was recently released and noted that a portion of the funds for that album are to go to the Love of People, a Lafayette organization that Marc and his wife support and do volunteer work.
This new release was produced by Joe Bonamassa, Josh Smith, and Calvin Turner. All songs were written by Marc and Calvin with two exceptions. Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith are also credited as co-writers on “You’ll Be Sorry” and “Let Me Take You Out Tonight”. Marc provides all vocals with Joe Bonamssa playing guitar on all but two tracks, Josh Smith also adds guitars and is the lead guitarist with solos on four tracks, Reese Wynans on keyboards Calvin Turner plays bass with Lemar Carter playing drums, percussion and drum programming. Steve Patrick and Tyler Jagger play trumpet with Barry Green on trombone, and Mark Douthit and Jimmy Bowland on sax. Marc’s earlier albums were referenced as “bayou soul”, but here he plunges into solid blues.
The opening track is pure Chicago style blues with Joe’s slide guitar burning and Reese’s piano throwing in on Marc telling her, “You’ll Be Sorry” when I’m gone”. “Trying To Do Right” is a softer, more mellow soulful song with Reese’s organ humming along as Marc says, “I keep, doing wrong” and asks “What is this lonely heart to do?” “Wish I could be a better man.” The horns kick in on “I’m Going Home”, with Marc declaring “I can’t be without you girl with you by my side. I would rather die”.
On “No More”, a quiet, lost love ballad with orchestral style strings, he begs her to “stay just one more night” and asks “Why don’t you love me no more?” Josh Smith takes the guitar lead on “Fever” with the energy taking a huge leap. Marc notes “You’ve never steered me wrong” and says ” I got a fever and the only prescription is you”. The strings return on “Chance Worth Taking” and shifts Marc back to his soul roots. He explains “I know that your hearts broken before. “Too many times left for something more. Feel like there is nothing more to do.” and asks her to “give me a chance, it’s one worth taking.”
“Let Me Take You Out Tonight” lets Josh take the guitar lead again and Reese’s organ swinging as Marc gets things rocking as he begs “Come on baby, give this old man a try”. He moves to a slow soulful, string-propelled “Sweet Love” where he tells “Everyone can tell you have a hold on me”. On “These Walls”, he cries “It feels so wrong. I could never say every bite, but I cannot go back and I don’t want to move along. Why should I walk away from the faith when there is no escape from the pain of moving on”.
On “Satisfaction Guaranteed he says, “You got something that no one could ever explain. Soon as you walked in, I just had to know your name”. “One way or another I am going to make you my wife”. Josh Smith’s lead guitar is featured on the next two cuts. Marc says, “I can’t explain what you do to me. It’s driving me insane. Everyone knows I am the only one at fault, no one but me to “Blame”. He hears her “Whispers” “in your dreams, but I push out the sound because it puts me through hell.” The album concludes with Marc paying tribute to his home state with Trombone Shorty performing on “Laissez Street Parade Intro” leading into “Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler” which translates to “Let the Good Times Roll” with Marc declaring “tell you what I’m gonna do; gonna throw away my blues”.
Marc delivers a top- notch soul and blues rock album under the careful production and instrumental work from Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith and the rest of the instrumentalists on the album. Marc’s remarkable vocals are always very soulful, but here he seems to extend his range further into the blues.
