Singletary, Marcus: The Sonic Admiral - Live!

You have to admire Marcus Singletary’s tenacity, for as soon as one album is recorded and released, it seems that the singer, guitarist, piano and synth player, is straight onto the next one. This time it’s a live offering that’s served up, The Sonic Admiral - Live!, recorded at California’s PharmaFest; a festival which saw ‘growers, smokers and cops all standing together side by side’. With the event being something of an impromptu occasion Singletary quickly teamed up with V’Cenzio ‘Rufus’ Jenkins on bass, San Diego Sanchez on drums and multi-instrumentalists Dick Bobb and Rob Lapkis.

As ever from this idiosyncratic artist, the fare isn’t just varied, it’s almost scattergun in approach, the opening “On The Silver Screen� a catchy piece of rock n’ roll boogie where San Diego’s cymbal smashes over-power and dominate. In between songs the crowd noises feel like they belong in a show from the 60s, the building applause and background rumble that runs behind “Roll It One More Time� giving a strange vibe indeed. The song itself also feels connected to that era, an organ pulse the focal point for the straight up beats and brass stabs, which leads into the first of the more avant-garde offerings in the shape of “I’d Like To Find Out�. Singletary describes these moments as an ‘a cappella vocal landscape, featuring his voice mutated through a TC-Helicon unit’. “Danger Ahead� doesn’t make things much clearer, with apparently the sound of engines building and roaring into explosive force being ‘lapped up’ by the crowd, before “We Trust In Our Leader� - a vocal only arrangement that clearly swipes at current political leaders - elicits some appreciative chuckles, whoops and hollers from the crowd.

“Magic And Carnal Delights� takes us back into more song based territory, a jaunty classic rock vibe keenly laid bare and clearing the way for the blues-rock-shred of “Green Sky Guitar>Sonic Admiral�. Proving that, for all the dalliances elsewhere, if Marcus Singletary can do one thing, he can sure make his guitar beg for mercy in the most rewarding of fashions. A more avant-prog stance is taken on the jagged “King Astrohead�, whereas “Look Down Fair Moon� is a 28 second spoken piece that leads into the intricately layered vocal excursion of “Comin’ Home To You� and the show closing howl and stomp of “Subversive Blues�, which undoubtedly lives up to its name.

Running to around the 30 minute mark, The Sonic Admiral - Live! is a strong example of the eclectic message music Marcus Singletary specialises in. The sound is rough and raw but in many ways that’s something that sits well with the more obviously rocked up moments. In truth even those more straight ahead offerings prove tough for me to connect with, but the more adventurous of you might want to give this a go.

Track Listing
1. On the Silver Screen (Live)
2. Roll It One More Time (Live)
3. I'd Like to Find Out (Live)
4. Danger Ahead (Live)
5. We Trust in Our Leader (Live)
6. Magic and Carnal Delights (Live)
7. Green Sky Guitar > Sonic Admiral (Live)
8. King Astrohead (Live)
9. Look Down Fair Moon (Live)
10. Comin' Home to You (Live)
11. Subversive Birds (Live)

Added: November 3rd 2018
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: The Sonic Admiral at CD Baby
Hits: 736
Language: english

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