Marcus King Band, The - Carolina Confessions [180G]

The Marcus King Band have already given fans reason to believe they are destined for great things. At 22 years of age, Marcus King has been a bandleader for a decade and tipped as "music's next great guitarist" by the Washington Post. But the band's daring, ambitious new album, Carolina Confessions, marks an artistic leap of another order. Produced and mixed by Grammy Award-winner Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell) and recorded at Nashville's iconic RCA Studio A, it finds the band's trademark musicianship buoyed by a new narrative depth, as Marcus delves into heavy themes: absolution, guilt, leaving home, yearning, love and other affairs of the soul.

Carolina Confessions features 10 brand-new songs, all written by Marcus except for "How Long," which was co-written with the Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and veteran songwriter Pat McLaughlin. Whether it's the searing rock exorcism of "Confessions" or the propulsive road-bound soul of "Where I'm Headed," Marcus exhibits an almost Southern gothic sensibility in his songs, owning up to failed relationships, portraying his complex connection with his hometown, arraying a sprawling musical firmament in the process.

Marcus and his five bandmates -- drummer Jack Ryan, bass player Stephen Campbell, trumpeter/trombonist Justin Johnson, sax player Dean Mitchell and keyboard player DeShawn "D'Vibes" Alexander -- are in top form on Carolina Confessions, exhibiting an intuitive sense of control and expression as they tackle their most sonically layered and emotionally complex compositions to date.

Confessions
Where I'm Headed
Homesick
8 a.m.
How Long
Remember
Side Door
Autumn Rains
Welcome 'Round Here
Goodbye Carolina