Press & Reviews

No less than fourteen songs on this long player by Mark Brown. The American takes thirty-eight minutes and ten seconds. Old school country that could be linked to a row of names. However, this review is not about musicians who have influenced this singer-songwriter, who is hardly known in the Netherlands, but about an idiosyncratic talent who is slowly but surely building a unique oeuvre.

Mark Brown makes his debut with the release of the album Uncle Buckle. He has gained experience, played a lot and gathers a group of friends who make country music where the scratches are audible. With Skin & Bones in 2015, Brown broke through to a larger audience. He scores compliments and stars and the names Johnny Cash and Tom Waits are also mentioned on this album. Indeed, a wonderful but fitting combination. Brown sings about the good and bad things in life all with an underlying sense of mischievousness (Americana-UK) and singer-songwriters like Mark Brown are rare, CDs of the scope and style of Skin & Bones are even rarer (Country Music People)

Happy Hour contains fourteen songs. 'Scratch' is a song about scratching, but above all a composition about movement and survival. Where do you scratch? Brown asks. He puts life into perspective and thus scratches it to a tangible surface. Brown likes to question the people who think they want to decide everything. 'Inertia' starts with a slow guitar, the gritty voice delivers a text that the audience will listen to in every room. 'Happy Hour' is about life as Brown wants to live it and not about spending the last hour of the afternoon drinking. And again he doesn't take life too seriously and mainly enjoys everyday events. While the crowd cheers over another beer, Brown shrugs. The loyal fans are now singing along to the songs.

Closing track 'The Unanswered Prayer' is the story of a woman who dies in an accident. She hits her head on the steering wheel and gets lost in the clouds on the way to heaven. It is an everyday story, beautifully told by Brown. Details add color to the journey of the deceased woman. She gets lost up in the clouds. It is not wise to wait for the next release from Mark Brown. Enjoying Happy Hour is much better advice. No stars are given at Real Roots Café, but Brown would without a doubt score a maximum. Great record! (Independent)