Album Review: Brandon Clark & The American Standard - Honestly

Brandon Clark & The American Standard is, yep, Brandon Clark, with guitarist Paul Pynch, Paul Hedges and Chris Zeigler. This is their first release, and it's a mix of folk, country and a little bit of rock too.

'Anchor' has a very classic country sound, and Clark's voice is suited to this genre perfectly. It could easily be some veteran rock act singing, but you wouldn't know it. Keeping things simple is the name of the game, with solid playing and a catchy chorus, it's pretty standard country tunes by this point.

'It's You' turns the tone a bit more, with a bit of banjo making an appearance. Simple lyrics, and some good understated harmonies come through every now and again. 'The Rain' is a slightly more poppy sound, and it changes the mood completely. The EP ends with 'That List', an emotional number with heartfelt lyrics and more suited to the sound on the majority of the EP.

For me, this EP isn't anything groundbreaking in a genre which provide some interesting results if it's toyed around with. Some of the tracks have some nice harmonies and solid choruses, but it all sounds very similar after a while.

2.5/5

'Honesty' EP by Brandon Clark and The American Standard is available now on P is for Panda/Hopeless Records.

Brandon Clark and The American Standard on MySpace

Mark Allen