Song of the Week

It's high time I instituted a running bit that I plan to only write periodically. So, without further ado, I present to you the Chris Milam Song of the Week! I got the idea a few posts ago when I subjected all of you to my praise of Aqualung's "Brighter Than Sunshine." I'll try to keep my praise limited to more contemporary songs that all of you have access to hearing (at least through Myspace), but a few classics may slip in. Let's get started:

Song of the Week...Cory Branan's "Easy":
Cory's people posted a few songs to Myspace as a preview for his upcoming album, 12 Songs. "Prettiest Waitress in Memphis" is great, fun storytelling and "Ali..." is clever and campy (if I may use the word "campy"). "Easy" features Branan as his fans know him best: his voice, his guitar, and some harmony from a nameless woman with a gorgeous voice. The lyrics are terse and imagistic, the melody simple. But Branan's facility with song structure prove his expertise in both story-telling and emotional articulation; he uses the simple conceit of "easy" to show how simple, difficult, easy, or hard a relationship can be from both sides. No words are spared, no notes are wasted--just powerfully spare songwriting that makes something so hard to do look so incredibly easy. This song sends a strong indication that, when the other eleven come out, Cory will remain the best lyricist of his generation.