Brando James - Brando James

Brando James

​Brando James
self-released; 2016

4.0 out of 5

By Jamie Funk
​

Brando James is an artist who splits his time between being a practicing physician and a musician. Not too shabby considering one of the professions can finance the other. I can’t say I know many physicians who are also songwriters so I would put James at the top of the pile. Truth be told regardless of the fact that James can prescribe you antibiotics I really enjoyed his self-titled EP Brando James. Everything from top to bottom is air tight. The production, the delivery, the songwriting. For comparisons sake I thought Wilco was a good reference. There is a mix of the indie rock with Americana which if done right sounds fantastic. 

He opens with “Wake Up” which is not a cover of the Arcade Fire song. Right off the bat I was enjoying the pedal steel and accordion in the mix with the guitars. The song is catchy with a couple of moments with clear shifts in energy. Great opener and certainly not the last great song.

Up next is “Innocence” which is pretty straightforward American rock. Like the opener the delivery is on point with plenty to enjoy. Dynamic and sing-along worthy. He brings down the energy with “Sweet Lancaster.”.It starts with a lone acoustic guitar and vocals. The pedal steel and accordion have room to breathe on this song and it sounds great. There is an old country western vibe as if I was roaming the desert in search of an answer.

The energy gets picked back up with “Set Controls West” while the closer “Highs and Lows” moves at a relatively slow place but is very dynamic. 

James goes five for five here. I thought every song was worthy of a second or third listen at the very least. The real question is if his patients are treated to his music while they are in the waiting area. That wouldn’t be so bad. 

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