MARCUS KING : EL DORADO

MARCUS KING : EL DORADO

Young Man's Dream
The Well
Wildflowers & Wine
One Day She's Here
Sweet Mariona
Beautiful Stranger
Break
Say You Will
Turn It Up
Too Much Whiskey
Love Song
No Pain

Label : Fantasy

Release Date : January 17, 2020

Length : 42:19

Review (AllMusic) : There's nothing at all wrong with being a guitar hero, but sometimes a musician wants to show folks they can do more than spin off dazzling solos. The Marcus King Band has won a loyal following among guitar mavens, blues heads, and jam band enthusiasts for their agile blend of boogie rock and blues that gives King plenty of opportunity to express himself on guitar. But for his first solo effort, King has opted to try something different. 2020's El Dorado was produced by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys, and he's helped King craft a change-of-pace effort that should appeal to folks unaware of his work with his band. This is a more song-oriented set than King has delivered in the past, with the lion's share of the tracks co-written by Auerbach, King, and a handful of noted Nashville tunesmiths. The material is rootsy but strongly melodic, and the lyrics pack a significant emotional punch. The blues are still a big part of King's sound here, but there's just as much smooth Southern soul laced with sophisticated country on El Dorado. Here King is accompanied by a band of top-shelf Music City session players, and the backing is effortlessly smooth while still maintaining an honest and heartfelt tone. Auerbach gives King plenty of space to strut his stuff on the six-string, but he's put a greater focus on King as a vocalist. His instrument isn't perfect, but he's a much better soul man than one might expect, with smart, powerful phrasing and good instincts for how to pull the most from the lyrics. El Dorado might not boast enough shredding for King's usual audience, but if their interest in roots music goes beyond barroom blues into vintage soul, they should find plenty to enjoy here, and he's a more capable vocalist than some would expect, making this worth a spin for listeners who enjoy modern-day soul.

Review (Brothers In Raw) : Deze 23-jarige vernieuwende songwriter en gitaarspeler wist mijn aandacht te trekken toen ik één van zijn liedjes te horen kreeg enkele jaren geleden. Na wat speurwerk op het internet kon ik enkele live optredens bekijken. Mede hierdoor ligt mijn verwachting van Marcus zijn solo debuutalbum zeer hoog. Laat ons starten met wat info over dit talent. Marcus King is geboren te Greenville, South Carolina in 1996. Reeds op jonge leeftijd stond Marcus samen met zijn vader, blues gitarist Marvin King, op het podium. Als tiener vormde hij zijn eigen band en in 2015 brachten ze hun eerste album uit, getiteld Soul Insight. Daarna kreeg de band al snel een platencontract bij Fantasy Records. Het tweede album The Marcus King Band werd uitgebracht in oktober 2016. Carolina confessions, het derde album werd geproduceerd door Dave Cobb en werd uitgebracht in oktober 2018. El Dorado is zijn eerste solo album, wat dan ook de reden is waarom dit zijn debuutalbum genoemd wordt. Want onbekend kan men deze fenomenale gitarist moeilijk noemen. We starten rustig met Young Man's Dream waar de akoestische gitaar en de van Soul doordrenkte zangstem je een groot gevoel van kwetsbaarheid bezorgen. Van bij de start is The Well één van mijn favorieten: door de elektrische gitaar krijg je een Rock 'n Roll gevoel terwijl de stem van Marcus je in rauwe Blues onderdompelt. Een geslaagd huwelijk tussen twee stijlen. Wildflowers and Wine is een prachtige slow. Ongelofelijk als ik bedenk dat King pas 23 jaar is, maar klinkt als een doorwinterde, doorleefde muzikant. Tijd voor de wat luchtigere Rhytm-and-Blues song One Day She's Here. Sweet Mariona kunnen we omschrijven als een ongecompliceerde, Country love song. "I don't know your name, but i know what you drink" is één van de vele mooie one liners die me bijblijven in Beautiful Stranger. Puur genieten, terwijl het koor je in vervoering brengt, sluipen de jammerende gitaren en het pianospel kriebelend onder je huid. Break: laat je hart door niemand anders dan mij breken. Een duidelijke boodschap van liefde en vergeving, gebracht met passie op een melodieuze wolk. Met Say You Will krijgen we een temperamentvol, up tempo, Blues nummer. Sterke gitaar solo's zorgen ervoor dat mijn luchtgitaar duchtig in actie schiet. Turn It Up: zoals de titel het zegt een ideaal nummer om aan volume knop te draaien. Stil blijven zitten is geen optie want het ritme is zo opzwepend dat stilzitten een zonde zou zijn. Too Much Whiskey: Mickey Raphael, de harmonica speler bij de Willie Nelson band, brengt samen met Marcus een schitterende ode aan Willie Nelson. Onbewust druk ik op rewind, want met 3 minuten 54 seconden neem ik geen genoegen. Als een rustig voortkabbelend beekje ontplooid Love Song zich als een krachtig liefdesliedje. We sluiten het album af met het het bijzonder veelzijdige funky Blues nummer No Pain. "Don't wait for the stars to be aligned. Reach up and rearrange them in the way you want! Create your own constellation." Marcus maakte met El Dorado zijn eigen sterrenstelsel. Zonder twijfel een sterk album waar we nog lang van zullen nagenieten.

Review (Pop Matters) : South Carolina native Marcus King enjoys a reputation as a young, hotshot guitarist. As the leader of the Marcus King Band, the 23-year-old phenom has wowed live audiences with his rockin' Southern blues power and released three heralded discs full of hot licks. Now King is going it alone, although not all by himself. Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys produced King's debut album at his Easy Eye Studio in Nashville with veteran keyboardist Bobby Wood, drummer Gene Chrisman, and bassist Dave Roe. The result suggests King is much more than just a string wizard. He has written (co-written) a lively batch of songs about his experiences and observations and infused them with an enthused spirit of soulful wonderment. It sounds like he's having fun, even when life hurts because feeling bad is still better than no having no feelings at all. Auerbach has said that while he was familiar with King's guitar playing chops, it was the South Carolinian's voice that attracted him to this project. King has a raw ache in his throat that makes him sound as if he's coarsely whispering the words. Even when he's singing about a "Young Man's Dream", King's vocals suggest the experience of age. Think of early Rod Stewart vis a vis "Gasoline Alley" as an equivalent comparison. One can easily understand Auerbach's fascination with King's singing. But saying one treasures King's crooning over his axe-wielding is reminiscent of that old Alberto Vargas Playboy cartoon about a lecher drooling over a woman's ample bosom saying that he's really just a leg man. Sure, who doesn't appreciate a great pair of gams, but King is one of the greatest rock/blues guitar players of today. The fact that he has an interesting voice is a plus, but his virtuoso instrumental talent is what's really special about him. King does play up a storm on several tracks. Consider the heavy blues riffs that open "The Well" that are hard enough to pound nails before King starts lamenting the burdens of rural life. He takes a wailing rock solo midway to express the effort it takes to conquer one's circumstances, and then after a short continuance launches into an instrumental coda to wrap up. Other songs, most notably the poignant "Wildflowers & Wine", focus on King's vocals (and that of a background choir of female singers). Auerbach's production purposely gives the track a nostalgic Stax-lite vibe with lyrics about "old scratchy records". The bulk of the other material, such as "Sweet Mariona", "Break", and "No Pain" are also evocative of past Southern soul from a previous era. Other cuts such as the haunting "One Day She's Here" and the gospel-infused "Beautiful Stranger" shine behind the more equitable mix of King's playing and singing. He doesn't engage in pyrotechnics but allows his fingers to carry the rhythms and forward the melody with the help of his fellow band members. And when he does allow his digits to fly on "Too Much Whiskey", King captures the excitement of living on the edge, with the addition of a verbal nod to Willie Nelson and a harmonica homage to Mickey Raphael. Listeners in search of guitar gold would find this more on King's records with his band than on his solo effort El Dorado. Besides, this album takes its name from the Cadillac automobile of that name rather than the legendary city of myth. There is a sense of motion to the record as a whole, which would make it a good driving companion. King may be looking in the rear-view mirror as he motorizes, but this record reveals the young man is moving forward in new ways.