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Artist
Bryan Gorsira
12+ albums
about
Bryan Gorsira has written songs for decades, and twelve of them from his recent and distant past comprise his latest effort, The Best Years. The album ranges as greatly in style as it does in date-of-composition, including aspects of singer/songwriter sentimentality, backwoods zydeco, boogie woogie, and even a diversion into prog rock balladeering. The album begins delightfully with its title track, a dedication to his wife and children that clarifies just which of his years have been the best. With a lyrical simplicity and sincerity reminiscent of Randy Travis' "Forever And Ever Amen," Gorsira's mid-tempo tribute features sparse instrumentation accented nicely by violin and backing vocals. Among the various genres tapped into throughout the album, this track hints that Gorsira's later-in-life singer/songwriter explorations yield his best writing. "Caught," with a notably more ominous minor-keyed tone, introduces female lead and harmony vocals by Dana Cooper and Julie Forester. Melodically, "Love Is Pain" takes on a Neil Young "Heart Of Gold" feel, complete with a dynamic harmonica lead. "Carry Me Away" shifts to a boogie woogie piano-centered shuffle, followed by a zydeco-influenced gospel redemption song, "Wash Me." The genre-shifting goes into high gear with the mysterious phaser-heavy "Another Old Day," with its alternating electric guitar and flute leads harkening to a 70's progressive rock influence. Gorsira hits his stride in The Best Years with the album's final fi
