In today’s review, we will grace our ears with a returning act: someone with the class of simplicity, but the struggle of nuance. Those sentiments bleed through their work, and it is no other than Brayden Mullins with the ability to seamlessly weave through those qualities through his brand of artistry. We have reviewed his previous release here, but in case you haven’t caught up with the times, here’s a refresher and an opener to the single that we’ll be reviewing today.
Brayden Mullins is an artist with a storyteller’s narrative, singing stories about real life through struggle and strength. Hailing from the heart of Appalachia, he has a warm and broken voice, shaped with the timbre of self-awareness and wisdom beyond one year… and ears. In today’s review, he expands upon his niche in artistry with his newest single, ‘Ole River Bridge’.
The single opens with a warm and rustic welcome from the acoustic strings, accented with what I assume is a fiddle. It adds a golden flair to the song before Brayden’s familiar voice graces the track. His voice wails and weeps all in one, ending in almost a stylistic yodel at the end of each stanza. You can feel the raw emotion throughout his singing, as it almost ventures into a Blues segment at some aspect. Amid the self-aware and poignant story, the continued solo from the fiddle truly gives the song a cultural Appalachian touch. This song is simple, but there are nuances within the notes chosen and the intervallic structure of the track itself.
His voice, mastered to a crisp, cements itself as the star of the whole track: you’d have to experience it to feel it.
Just as his classic brand of simplicity continues on with the rest of his singles, I have to say once again that his songs need no further analysis or embellishment. It is pure human toil that propagates through the medium in which you’re listening, and you will feel like you’ve experienced the story and left with the heartstrings of the narrative itself.
Definitely an artist to keep an eye on.
Score/Good: ‘Ole River Bridge’ once again delivers on Brayden Mullins’ niche: simplicity with a cultural and personal authentic touch. There is no room to misinterpret the track or his artistic intent. It is direct and simply palpable.
[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]
Check Brayden Mullins out on his official website
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