Marlon Williams

New Zealand's "Marlon Williams" has already won Marlon Williams accolades in New Zealand and Australia. His music is rightfully positioned as Country and fans of Country in the states may compare his work favorably to Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, Chris Isaak and maybe even Jeff Buckley. Internationally, Country as a genre has continued to expand, and could be seen as a global music movement that is not just limited to the North Americas. Certainly Country has proven to be popular not only in Europe, but also in the Southern Hemisphere. There are strains of bluegrass, folk rock and even gospel within "Marlon Williams," a very even and admirable effort for a nine-song album.

"Hello Miss Lonesome" jangles along at a quick place with great harmonies overall, but doesn't seem to be particularly suited to his voice. Marlon Williams possesses a lovely tenor that trembles with emotion particularly when carrying soulful, melancholy tunes such as "Dark Child" and "Silent Passage." The sounds of popular American music of the 1960s and 1970s pop up in "After All" and "I'm Lost Without You," although even familiar arrangements have been rendered slightly alien by the distortions of time, place and culture. Songs that are densely layered tend to move Williams' voice and the lyrics into the background.

Lyrics play an interesting role in the modern gothic "Strange Things" and half of the macabre fun is listening to the music as well as the lyrics. The cover of an American folk song,"When I Was a Young Girl," stripped down to Williams and a single guitar, is a dark jewel of a performance in which he displays the range of his voice and his ability to tell a story. The brief "Everyone's Got Something to Say" closes the album at an even 34 minutes. A fairly dark sense of humor permeates the end of the piece.

Although "Marlon Williams" is considered Marlon Williams' solo debut, he's more than cut his teeth in the music world of the Southern Hemisphere. Both the barn stompers and the heartfelt ballads hint at the beginnings of a long career. Hopefully, this disc will not be the last from him as a solo artist.

"Marlon Williams"
Marlon Williams
Dead Oceans
$8.99-33.98 (mp3-audio CD)
http://www.marlonwilliams.co.nz/