Album Notes

Sometimes you just have to keep a good thing going. If you're five years old and on stage with your father, singing Johnny B Goode and following every key shift, then why stop? Why not record an album with him when you grow up? Marc Broussard did it, and I'll be damned if it didn't work. So, why can't we all?

Oh yeah...I guess not all of us can write songs like Marc Broussard, and we don't have a father who can play guitar like Ted Broussard, and we sure as hell didn't know the words to Johnny B Goode at age five. But Marc Broussard did, and he's been singing, playing guitar, and writing ever since. Now 20, Marc combines traditional soul, R&B, and hook laden rock into his signature sound; a mature blue eyed soul culled from the myriad musical influences found around him in Lafayette, Louisiana.

He's not one to keep it all to himself, either. Marc says, "There are some great people down in southern Louisiana...You should come!"

Apparently, something is right down there. After being discovered by Leah Simon, from Ripley Records, on a curb in Lafayette, Marc's debut album was soon underway. Recorded over three weeks at Tony Daigle's studio in downtown Lafayette, Momentary Setback took shape with help from local session players, including his father, Ted Broussard, on guitar. "There's nobody better to have playing with me," Marc says of his dad. The production by Columbia A&R rep and EMI songwriter, Marshall Altman (Frankie Machine, Tsar, The Vue), was a "blessing," says Marc. "He's expanded my musical horizons so far, I can never repay him." The final mix was provided by Joe Zook (Julianne Coryell).

Momentary Setback presents a complex synthesis of styles that reflect Marc's varied musical influences. The spare vintage keyboard riff heard at the beginning of "My God" immediately calls to mind Stevie Wonder; the full band groove of the irresistible "Just Like That" hints of George Benson and Earth, Wind, and Fire; the more urban programming on "Blue Jeans" suggests that someone listened to their fair share of Bryan McKnight; and the piano and brushes on the more traditional, jazz inflected ballad "French Cafe" reminds you where Marc grew up. "That's the one song on the album that I didn't write," he says. "But I wanted a song that presented where I'm from in a good light." So he enlisted the help of local songwriter David Egan, who's written for such legends as Percy Sledge and Etta James. The result is the evocative "French Cafe." "Jeremiah's Prayer," a moving acoustic duet with his father, stands as a testament to Marc's solid family ties, as well as a reflection of his spirituality. "My parents always helped me stay on the right track," he says. "I have knowledge of a higher power and I want to put forth a positive message in my music."

He'll be bringing that message to the rest of the country soon. Marc and his five piece band will be touring the country in support of Momentary Setback after its release on September 7th. Come see what that crowd recognized when he was five, what got him a record deal on a curb, and what is unmistakable on Momentary Setback. Marc Broussard has something going on in Lafayette and he isn't going to keep it there.