The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. was once quoted as saying, “Music is the best consolation for a despaired man.” For Marcus King, that was certainly the case, particularly when grappling with personal issues while trying to navigate the pandemic at the same time. You don’t have to look any further than King’s latest solo outing “Young Blood.”
For the 27-year-old vocalist and guitarist, getting to reunite with friend and producer Dan Auerbach for this sophomore solo album was a lifeline despite the fact that he was still navigating some dark times when the duo went into the studio for a quick six-day recording binge in May 2021.
“I had a really big breakup that happened shortly before we started writing and I had already prodded this concept of a record that was to be this big rock and roll trio-sounding [project],” King said. “The subject matter was just kind of serendipitous because I happened to go through this really rough chapter of my life right before we started writing. It was a big crescendo of a four-year relationship that was really toxic. It was an unhealthy relationship and that was from my doing and from her doing. I take my responsibility and my blame in the bad parts of that relationship. But at the end of the day, it was two people that were not meant to be together.”
Credit: Danny Clinch
Credit: Danny Clinch
Where King’s 2020 solo debut “El Dorado” was more of a rhythm and blues effort, the 11 cuts on “Young Blood” found the South Carolina native and Auerbach (the Black Keys frontman who also produced “El Dorado”) tapping into a classic power trio sound with a nod to storied groups like the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Grand Funk Railroad, Black Sabbath, Free and ZZ Top, For King, it’s a testament to the synergy he’s developed with his producing partner.
Auerbach is effusive about his love and respect for King saying, “Music runs so deep in Marcus’s blood he might not even realize how born to do this he is. He probably does, but God, he’s the real deal. Marcus has Southern soul as part of his foundation. If you’re going to play rock ‘n’ roll with Marcus, you have to understand that element. It’s just who he is. This record didn’t take a lot of pushing. We put the right people in the room and let them do their thing. These songs are live performances. The whole damn thing is live — the solos and everything. It’s so rare in this day and age.”
Songs like the Gov’t Mule-meets-Lynyrd Skynyrd-flavored “Lie Lie Lie,” with its lines like “I let her in then she took me for a joy ride/I let her win and I still don’t even know why/I was singing she was smoking on a pipe dream/She was living but it wasn’t in reality” and the soulful closer “Blues Worse Than I’ve Ever Had,” where King sings “Drinkin’ don’t help, drugs won’t make a dent/Money might change it, but I ain’t got a cent/Just like a cannonball, feel I’m headed for a fall” hold a mirror up to the personal struggles the young phenom had been grappling with over the years, particularly in the past few years. If anything, he admits the pandemic forced him to face the trauma he’d been carrying with him through his young life.
With a healthy amount of therapy and the support of Briley Hussey, the new woman in his life who is now his wife, King is in a good place. The symbiotic power of playing before live audiences also proved to be a restorative tonic.
At a recent New York City show, the young guitarist was leading a nine-piece band that included a horn section and two percussionists that powered through a set of originals and covers that included Marvin Gaye’s “Trouble Man” as his opening number along with takes on Leon Russell’s “Delta Lady” and a pair of Allman Brothers gems — “Southbound” and “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed.” In keeping with his penchant for unexpected covers, King took on Crowded House’s “Don’t Dream It’s Over,” in which Hussey was introduced and sang most of the song. It all represents the positive and forward-looking part of his life in which King credits music with being a major factor in seeing him through his sorrow, something he tries to share whenever he plugs in.
“We like to have a full release on stage — emotionally, spiritually and physically — and that’s the best part of my day,” he said. “I try my best to stay active and create healthy habits on the road. But the best part of my day is on that stage when I’m able to say all of those things. ... We don’t leave anything on the table. We all come off the stage completely exhausted.”
CONCERT PREVIEW
Marcus King with Chris Stapleton
Aug. 25-26. $175+. Ameris Bank Amphitheatre, 2200 Encore Parkway, Alpharetta. concerts.livenation.com.
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