Young, talented, great singer, equally great guitarist: Marcus King from North Carolina has already made a name for himself as the leader of the Marcus King Band in recent years. Now, at the end of 2019, the stocky 23-year-old tries his hand as a solo artist …
… with “El Dorado”, his debut album. No question about it, the title has its justification. Because friends of roots sounds, of earthy soul and heartfelt blues and southern rock will find a song goldader on the CD produced by Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys). Especially bright: the almost five-minute track “Wildflower & Wine”. A slow, soulful, six-eigh time, which with its gospellous intensity can easily compete with Ray Charles song monolith “Georgia On My Mind”. Well: Also the smooth Fender-Rhodes piano and the chords played on it remind us of that timeless Georgia anthem. But what the hell. The always hat-wearing singer with the fantastic smoky voice is as far away from the copper-plating as a vegan from a southern barque. The fact that the son of blues musician Marvin King learned his craft early and apparently from scratch becomes clear in every note. Also – or above all – in the wonderful guitar solo. Marcus King shows over an entire verse that he really is a king of the instrument: technique, feeling, sound – there’s no better way. Ray Charles would have been enthusiastic about this highly talented instrumentalist.
