Andrew Bryant – Prodigal
Sentimental Noises
Review by Chris Armes
Backed by Memphis music greats Will Sexton (Waylon Jennings), Rick Steff (Lucero, Cat Power, Hank Williams Jr.), Alex Greene (Reigning Sound), Jim Spake (Al Green, Levon Helm, Jerry Lee Lewis), Mark Edgar Stuart and Will McCarley, with Bruce Watson (Fat Possum Records) producing and mixing the album in his Memphis, TN studio Delta Sonic Sound, Andrew has made his boldest album yet.
Like many of us seeking songwriters, it’s just a function of who we are and what we do as humans. Not a means to an end. Andrew’s 8th full-length album is an expression of that ever-unfolding drama. Prodigal takes us back to the start, to the rusty and torn-down playgrounds we grew up on. In Andrew’s case, a strict religious cult upbringing was left behind in rural North Mississippi. Upon the sudden death of an old, now-estranged friend back home, Andrew returns. We share this haunting dream-like nostalgia, wondering if it was all real. The opener “Prodigal” invites us in with great lines like: “Brother Danny was a fisher of men. He cast his jigs across the Arkansas sands. Hooked a line on his finger and he played in the band.”
“Trampoline” casts a line and hooks with sentimentality without overdoing it:
“We were jumping on the trampoline. In the backyard in the pale green street lamp lights. Our socks were caked in dirt and the broken fall leaves We were dancing like we’d danced a thousand times.”
My favorite lyric on the album, from the song “Gravy,” would make great literature on its own and poignantly sums up the trappings of his strict southern rural life: ”That night in the dark. I watch my mother take out the dove’s heart. And cover it with gravy. In a skillet alone at the stove. We thank the Father for the food on our plates. And we all say amen. ‘Cause we’ve got nothing more to say.”
“Shiloh”‘s musicianship in pure driving folk perfection and vibe is uplifting to the point of levitation. Silky pianos playing with just the right amount of tasteful touch, support lines like: “I smell the coffee and the Christmas tree. Big star is falling somewhere over Galilee.”
The sequence of Prodigal is intuitive enough to pull melancholy just before bursting into sunny Motown flavors delivered ala sentimental melodies and upbeat baritone sax arrangements. Prodigal overall has a great cinematic feel that goes great with any movie road trip, or reflective moment that requires lucid attention. In fact, there’s a notable movie documenting the process and entire making of the album.
Find the music here: https://andrewbryant.bandcamp.com/album/prodigal
What the documentary here!: https://www.presenttensedoc.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: Andrew Bryant “A Meaningful Connection”
RIYL: Fruit Bats, Motown, Pink Floyd, Jason Isbell, Tom Petty
Recorded and produced by Bruce Watson
At Delta Sonic Sound, Memphis TN
Mixed by Bruce Watson and Andrew Bryant
Mastering by Clay Jones
All songs written by Andrew Bryant
Prodigal is available now on all platforms