Midlife Priceless is Hootie & The Blowfish guitarist Mark Bryan’s fourth solo album. Three years since the release of his previous record, a lot has happened; most notably, his 20 million-selling, two-time Grammy®-winning band got back together for a sold-out arena tour that meant as much to Bryan as it did to the fans that came out by the tens of thousands.
Mark Bryan is about feeling something and making you feel something. The energy in the buildings around the country that rocked again with the songs that made Hootie one of the biggest-selling acts in music history, is all here on Midlife Priceless.
This particular album has a mission statement: “Die young as late as you can”
“That line speaks to the point I am in my life and why I’m still making music,” Bryan says.
Even before Hootie got back together to be met with love-filled venues as if it were the 1990’s again, Bryan was living this way. Through good and bad – especially bad – he was connecting with his youth, wonder, curiosity, and joy. As defined, “priceless” is something so precious that its value cannot be determined.
Of the songs, it’s about emotion and feel – getting the spirit and vibe across as purely as possible. And spirit is how the album kicks off, with “Gotta Get Out Of Town”: straightforward, rock & roll with a pop construction, but not sugar coated, followed by “A Little More Rock & Roll”, which MusicTAP shared back in January – a perfect hybrid of country-rock, which is both joyous and soothing. “Wanna Feel Something” is passionate, powerful and works so well because it has multiple movements; the boogie-riff feel of “I Like Your Everything” is another musical “uplifter” and contrast that with the sweetness of “Like Make Believe” – a moment of light-heartedness.
Look beyond the “Hootie & The Blowfish” label and association – Mark Bryan has much to offer with his solo work. And this new album is a prime example of how good what he has to offer truly is.
Midlife Priceless will be released on Friday, April 2, 2021.
https://www.markbryanmusic.com/