While Brian Tyree Henry may not yet be a household name, he's about to be. You first saw him as Paper Boi on Atlanta. Now, he's made a second star turn as William Hill's cousin Ricky. Just like Atlanta, he has a musical number. Unlike Atlanta, this one is a powerful soul song that could have been on an Otis Redding B-side.
Henry's talents extend beyond a single song. He appears twice in the episode, once as his own age and another aged up to be 76. Apparently he showed makeup artists the photo of his father and they were able to replicate the look more or less exactly. Freaky stuff.
But, the song. "We Can Always Come Back to This" recalls the Memphis soul sound of Stax Records almost too well. It ought to, since the episode is called "Memphis." And Henry's performance is a big reason why Ventimiglia suggested we might need Wednesday off.
Henry tells Vulture that you aren't alone loving the song.
"I’m always singing it in the shower," Henry says. "It’s so reminiscent of Otis Redding and Sam Cooke. Those guys could sing these ballads that break your heart, but it’s just so smooth, like you know they’re singing from the bottom of their hearts. It’s a beautiful, beautiful song. Sometimes it was hard for me to get through it because I would get choked up."
We don't need to tell you the power of a great song to change how a TV show lands. Transparent has always been particularly excellent in this regard. Particularly, I'm thinking of their use of Bettye Swann's cover of "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye" in the first season.
This is Us has done one better with an actual original song. And it's a powerhouse. We would buy this as a cassingle. If those still existed. You get the idea.
Listen below.
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