Cormac – Take Me Home, Country Roads (2023)
When Cormac Thompson took his first singing lesson at age 8, I’m sure he had no idea what was in store. At age 9, he joined the Hallé Children’s Choir and sang his first major solo with their orchestra at Manchester’s Bridgwater Hall and the rest, as they say, is history. We were introduced to Cormac with his chilling version of West Side Story’s ‘Somewhere’; in fact, it’s still on our The Other Side Recommends playlist. Skip a beat and suddenly Cormac’s voice changes – it drops or “breaks”. Fortunately, this did not deter this young musician as he releases a cover of John Denver’s classic ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’.
Recorded in Brighton during mid-2023, the cover version is a classical step away from John Denver’s guitar-led ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’. Rich, warm and comforting, the arrangement embraces you with a warm sonic hug; however, an intricacy exists in the single adding a layer of complexity to the simple song. Dominated by Dominic Ferris’s piano, a classical tone carries the melody. The moving verses travel along a sophisticated piano but the catchy chorus drops into a blend of guitars and drums. A rollercoaster from a piano ballad to a toe-tapping twang before settling somewhere between classical precision and careless ambiguity.
I find it peculiar listening to Cormac’s previous material and this new single. The angelic serenity of his boy treble is spine-chilling; then, the flip to a mature tone not quite boy but not a grown man. The thing is, just as Cormac brought a tear to my eye with ‘Somewhere’, he brought a massive grin to my face with ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’. His voice is yet to settle but at this point, its roughness oozes raw vulnerability with a cheeky chuckle of boyhood.
So, do I prefer John Denver or Cormac Thompson? A Denver fan from a young age, it is difficult to match that iconic country lilt. Denver’s ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’ is the go-to when it comes to country anthems; however, Cormac takes the song and brings a new level of complexity with the classical meets country cover. It might take some time to become used to Cormac’s new sound, but I am eager to hear more of his treble tracks on the upcoming album A Borrowed Gift.
In addition to the single, Cormac released an official music video for ‘Take Me Home, Country Roads’. You can view it below or on his YouTube channel.
For more from Cormac, check out his official website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Discover more country tracks on The Other Side Reviews Country playlist:
