Canadian heavy country-rock artist Cory Marks had a wild year in 2020, with all of his big album release plans getting cancelled because of the pandemic. Never to be disheartened, Marks immediately took to bi-weekly streams and all sorts of other projects to keep fans engaged. Still, without a proper tour for “Who I Am“ under his belt, it’s understandable that he wasn’t ready to release a second album just yet. However, fans have been given a treat with the upcoming “Nashville Nights” EP, which features a variety of alternate versions of songs from the debut. The EP will be available on August 20th, 2021, via Better Noise Music. Check out our interview with Cory Marks from July 30th here.
“Nashville Nights” is a 6-track EP of familiar songs in different iterations. The first of these is the “normal” version of Marks‘ biggest hit, “Outlaws & Outsiders,” which is known for originally featuring Ivan Moody (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH), Travis Tritt, and Mick Mars (MÖTLEY CRÜE) as guests. This version is certainly less rowdy and bombastic than the original, but if you’re one of the traditional European metalheads who hates “North American music,” this stripped-down version might actually appeal a bit more to the ear; the same goes for those who like their country with a little less heavy metal. This version is also notable for being used in the movie Snobabies (also released via Better Noise Music).
The next three tracks are quite familiar from Marks‘ debut: “Good to Be Us,” a sweet, upbeat romantic song about when things are going well in a relationship; the explicit version of “Keep Doin’ What I Do,” which is one of several personal favorites from “Who I Am” due to its positive energy and empowering (if party-oriented) vibe… and hey, I’m always down to throw some curses around; and of course one of Marks‘ popular singles, “Devil’s Grin,” which is oh so relatable lyrically – everyone has been that guy or known that guy, if you know what I mean.
Finally, the EP wraps up with the live versions of “Blame it On the Double” and “Drive,” which don’t quite feel like live versions because the crowd has been edited out and the music polished down, but you can hear each track sounding a bit different than on the album, hinting that Marks is not a one-trick pony who just repeats his albums live, but rather plays around with the feeling and flow, adding some new flavor to well-loved songs, working as a hint of what is to come once the tours start up again.
While this EP doesn’t necessarily serve up anything too new, it is a nice addition to any country music collection and for Cory Marks fans, it offers a small something nice to enjoy and keep up enthusiasm while the world tries to get back to normal.
Tracklist
- Outlaws & Outsiders
- Good to Be Us
- Keep Doin’ What I Do [explicit]
- Devil’s Grin
- Blame it on The Double (live)
- Drive (live)
Lineup
Cory Marks
Label
Better Noise Music
