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It’s rare when an artist enters our lives fully realized and with a confidence that convinces us we’ve been following them for a long time. Brent Cobb has that something and it was evident in 2016 when he released his phenomenal record Shine On Rainy Day. Though Cobb had been around before this, it was his true arrival, causing double takes from anyone who encountered it. And it earned him a Grammy nod for Best Americana Album.
A monster songwriter and performer, Cobb has a sound that’s big and swaggering, and he continues to hone that on his new album Providence Canyon. Cobb’s tone is twangy and just slightly nasal, like he just woke up from a deep sleep on a sun-drenched front porch somewhere down south. And the way he uses it on Providence Canyon shows the firm grasp he has on it.
It wouldn’t be hard to picture Cobb dominating country music, especially with a song like “Mornin’s Gonna Come”. The way he sings about cold beers and hard living is smarter and cooler than anyone else in the game. The gospel-tinged country-rock gem is one of the standouts on Providence Canyon along with “Sucker For a Good Time”, which transports us down to Cobb’s south. His knack for vivid storytelling shines on Providence Canyon, and especially on “High in the Country”, which finds him imagining a million different paths he could have taken in life.
“Come Home Soon” shows off Cobb mastering those sunny harmonies of 70s country rock road songs – smooth and warm with dreamy guitars. And “King of Alabama” is a tribute song to road warriors who play country music from the back of a bus without a plan or a care in the world. It’s a song about friendship, and an ode to a lifestyle Cobb has captured perfectly on Providence Canyon. This spirit is at its best on album closer “Ain’t a Road Too Long,” in which Cobb moves from almost spoken word verses to belting out a larger than life chorus. It’s a song about the gritty road life and all the ambition it takes to stick with it. It’s a sound that can’t be contained, much like Cobb.
