Review: Marcus King- 'Mood Swings'
Up to now, Marcus King has primarily been known as a blues guitarist with a uniquely soulful voice. His guitar heroics have been the anchor of his previous Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) two albums and have defined the sound fans have come to expect. With Mood Swings, King fans will find a very different sound, one that focuses more fully on his vocals than his fretwork.
Mood Swings has a different label, and producer, with King signing to Rick Rubin's (Johnny Cash, The Avett Brothers) American/Republic label and letting the legendary producer guide his sound into its next phase. The difference is obvious from the outset, the album's title track. After a spoken-word intro that hangs with the final words “hopelessness, terrible”, King launches into one of the album's two primary themes; mental health. Over an understated electric guitar strum and a driving drum beat, King croons “mood swings like a pendulum I can't break through” before “I know it won't make much sense, but in my defense, you're the only one I feel safe around.”
King spends much of the album exploring the crossroads where love and mental health meet. The best example of this is the album's standout track “F*ck My Life Up Again.” “Let you down one last time, so you'd remember that you're mine,” King cries over drum and keys. Later he admits “I don't deserve to live without pain,” over a swell of strings.
Another strong track is “Delilah.” This one hits closest to the blues-rock of King's previous efforts, though tinged with a gospel core. The verses are piano and bass-heavy, with King's vocals slow and soulful. Then that fuzzed-out guitar solo hits and you're thinking “there he is. There's the old Marcus.”
If “Delilah” has a gospel tinge, “Me or Tennessee” is a swan dive into Southern gospel-inspired soul. The song could easily have been an Al Green tune, with a choir and organ as the driving force of the song. Lyrically, it's another exploration of the depths of mental illness and toxic relationships. “You'll never understand how to rid me of all your dreams now,” King and his chorus sing before another searing guitar solo. It's hard to write an uptempo song about such depressing topics, but King manages it with a flourish.
Whether you like Mood Swings will depend almost completely on your opinion of the soul and gospel roots in King's previous, bluesier, efforts. With Rubin's assistance, King has evolved his sound, and matured his songwriting prowess, into something recognizable to any Marcus King fan while avoiding stagnation.