Marcus King chronicles the power of music to save your soul and heal the wounds inflicted in the struggle for sanity, clarity, and sobriety.
A scratchy recording of a man recounts depression with the haunting words, “And I think that is the part of hell that a person in depression really tastes; the hopelessness, that terrible hopelessness…” The words “terrible hopelessness” loop as lyrical guitar rich in reverb voices loneliness. The bass guitar slides up high as the drum machine hisses and hums. The wistfully soulful voice of Marcus King laid bare with emotion sets the tone for the title track of his new album Mood Swings.
Mood Swings is King’s third solo album and sixth record if you include his first albums under the Marcus King Band. After channeling a bit of Billy Gibbons on his last album Young Blood, Marcus picks up where he left off on his first solo album El Dorado. We find Marcus crafting an incredible soulful rhythm and blues album with touches of jazz and country.
The music on Mood Swings is constructed with brutal honesty and a richness that allows you to hear something new with every listen. Producer Rick Rubin is noted for helping an artist find their essential sound. On Mood Swings, Rubin coaxes King to boldly embrace the soul music boiling under his calm exterior. The product is an album with a retro vibe that sounds vigorous and fresh. The listener is invited to witness Marcus’s struggles with the pain of betrayal, self-doubt, and loneliness. However, it isn’t all doom and gloom as there are lovely songs shaped with shining rays of hope.
The fiery guitar playing that is a hallmark of Marcus’s early albums and most recently on Young Blood takes a backseat to lush arrangements replete with piano, organ, vibraphone, orchestral strings, acoustic guitars, drum machines, amazing backing vocals, hand claps, and retro fuzz. The solos that appear on Mood Swings are short pieces of passionate poetry. They add vibrant splashes to a canvas saturated in lavish harmonies and captivating melodies.
Each track Mood Swings is stellar, but a few are remarkable standouts worth noting. Let’s start with “F*ck My Life Up Again” which demonstrates the emotional depths that Marcus King is willing to dive into. He opens his heart with each lyrical line of pain. The musical phrasing is sultry. An insistent and beguiling beat stands in counterpoint to the sadness in both the theme and Marcus’s vocals. “Inglewood Motel (Halestorm)” is absolutely breathtaking. You could imagine this song coming from 70s-era Stevie Wonder. The dancing chords bounce on fat-bottomed bass with super sexy keyboards adding to the seductive funk. You’ll want to move, groove, get down, and get funky.
The album ends with the spellbinding and heartbreaking “Cadillac.” It is brutally poignant and irresistibly beautiful. You can’t help but be reminded of the line from Hamlet’s soliloquy, “ To sleep, perchance to Dream; aye, there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death, what dreams may come.” It is through the rendering of an artistic masterpiece such as Mood Swings by Marcus King that we can find the will to preserve.
Mood Swings is set for release on April 5. You can pre-order your copy here.
