LATEST ALBUM: CRAZY COSMIC COLDBLOODED WORLD (Release Date: Nov. 2024)

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Marcus Singletary's "Crazy Cosmic Coldblooded World" Merges Classic Sounds With Modern Viewpoints and Considerations of the Future's Musical Developments

Marcus Singletary sings about the "Crazy Cosmic Coldblooded World" that we all live in on his latest album, but it begins reflectively, with a reinterpretation of the song that kicked off his very first disc. Here, the harmonica-and-drum duet "Delta Blues" becomes "Delta Revisited," as Marcus wails away on harp and keeps the Chicago blues groove going on guitar, bass, and drums. An ambitious title cut follows that contains riveting, outside-the-box guitar solos and lyrics pinpointing life's unpredictability.

Within "Destruction Never Hides" (a song recently featured in a series of anti-hard drug PSAs), Marcus says, "In the city, you won't find sages." "Workin' For the Woman" insists, "In the city, you won't find angels," and both are examples of the cover image's greed-fueled, smog-infested metropolis. Swampy slide guitar permeates the former; the latter displays an airy affinity for introspective music from the 1970s.

"Live, Let, and Die" isn't a Paul McCartney tune, but a brash interstate trucking fantasy resembling a full-band recording instead of the work of one man. "McCartney, Prince, and Stevie Wonder played all the instruments on many of their tracks, and inspired me to do so as well," Marcus states. "The hedonism portrayed through the main character's particular use of sex, drugs, and rock and roll is indicative of the fact that you wouldn't want to find yourself in his shoes."

"Smell the Perfume" weaves together multiple sections, various key changes, and lots of synth. "The story reminisces about time I spent in Hollywood, writing and recording songs while looking out the large street-view window and wondering what it would be like to trade places with the people walking back and forth," Marcus recalls, adding, "I later learned you're far better off pursuing your goals."

The three-part, nine-minute closer "Tarzana Dance" initially combines triple drumming with blazing guitar originally played in a different context and applied here in a manner similar to how Frank Zappa produced some of his works. It jags into an explosive 14/16-time improvisation, then concludes with a brief acoustic coda bookending the record itself with the blues that serves as a vital - but not singular - component within a vast vision merging classic sounds with modern viewpoints and considerations of the future's musical developments.

"Grit, Guts, & Guitars" presents great moments from Marcus Singletary's deep dive into various forms of popular music. The grit is the edgy sound he gets, regardless of the setting. His strange yet distinctive stylistic combinations equal the guts, and his guitar firestorms are the icing on a cake that offers up a fresh blend of atypical ingredients.

"Get the Dance Gene" and "Greenstone Pala" are straight-ahead rockers cut in top-level L.A. recording studios. "Here in the U.S.A., You Found Your Way" and "Whango Mango" originate from Singletary's own studio, and both are based upon Americana and country music structures.

The anthemic tune "My Planet" kicks off the collection with a marriage of light observation and heavier minor-key overtones. The rollicking escapist fantasy "Genovia" is another example of the approach, as slamming drums and soaring guitar riffs add density and depth to what is, essentially, a simple love song.

Likewise, the fun and upbeat groove of "Life Was Never Better Than it is Right Now" sits alongside "Streets of San Diego" - a no holds barred depiction of a drug dealer's life and death at the US-Mexico border, the inquisitive melancholia of "Say, Can You See" shares space with "(I Don't Need Your) Permission"'s outward anti-bullying stance, and so on.

"I was inspired by the band Iron Butterfly, and the contradictions in their name and their music," Singletary says. "The metallic, impenetrable nature of iron merged with the frivolity and playfulness of a butterfly. A similar mashup of seemingly opposite sensibilities also occurs within my creations."

Singletary finds influence within psychedelic jams, Southern rock, and classic jazz. "I've seen a ton of concerts in my lifetime, including 18 by the Black Crowes, eight by the Allman Brothers, and five by Phish," he states. "The very first rock show I ever witnessed featured Jimmy Page, and the first two live gigs I ever attended were performed by Jimmy Smith and Kenny Burrell. These experiences were the absolute foundation of my musical development."