Can This 23-Year-Old Save Rock ‘n’ Roll and His Soul? The Marcus King Band At The Fonda, Los Angeles (Live Review)

But it is his Dan Auerbach-produced solo debut, El Dorado, just released last month, that has tongues wagging about this 23-year-old, who reveals a southern soulful plaint that can purr like Al Green or howl like Otis Redding crossed with Janis Joplin next to a world-class shred that recalls everyone from Duane Allman to Leslie West. With his blend of rock, soul, country and gospel, he could well follow in the footsteps of fellow Americana breakouts like Sturgill Simpson, Jason Isbell and soon-to-be tourmate Chris Stapleton.

So there’s a palpable buzz in the packed Fonda, part of a club tour which hits the Fillmore in San Francisco (Feb. 4), the Ace of Spades in Sacramento (Feb. 6) and the McDonald Theater in Eugene (Feb. 7) before traveling to the U.K. later this month, Europe in March and Japan, Australia and New Zealand in April.  He’ll then join Stapleton and Margo Price on the All-American Road Show tour, starting at PPL Center in Allentown, PA July 9 and going through the summer.

Hard not to think 50 years ago today crosstown at the Troubadour for the debut of another blues-loving singer/songwriter, name of Elton John, with a “star is born” feeling in the air as the cherubic, moon-faced  kid – who looks younger than he is — takes the stage in a bolero hat and black leather. If you squinted, he could be Stevie Ray Vaughan, as he takes his well-tooled five-piece band — keyboardist Dane Farnsworth, drummer Jack Ryan, bassist Stephen Campbell and a two-person horn section, featuring trumpet/trombonist Justin “JJ” Johnson and outgoing sax player Dean Mitchell — through its breakneck changes of pace.

King’s guitar prowess has been well-documented, but it took Auerbach to bring out the gospel plaint in one of the set’s highlights, “How Long,” in which he duets on vocals while accompanying himself on guitar. There’s a velvety Curtis Mayfield falsetto to “One Day She’s Here,” and a bluesy growl to a cover of Willie Dixon’s “I Just Want to Make Love to You” by way of Muddy Waters that establishes his Chicago blues bona fides. The Reverend Al Green is tapped on the yearning “Love Song” with its blue-eyed doo-wop harmonies, while Marcus evinces his best country twang on the elegiac “Sweet Mariona” and some feverish hee-haw picking on the punk bluegrass of “Good Hearted Woman.” 

Elsewhere, there’s a heavy metal Mountain vibe to “Say You Will,” segueing into the soulful “Homesick” with its smoky noir sax solo culminating in an inspired call-and-response audience singalong. By the time he’s slowed it down for the acoustic “Break,” about rupturing a romance because you want to spare your lover from being broken up with by somebody else, the audience is along for the ride, so that when the extended Allman-esque drum solo and keyboard vocoder in “Always” and the Led Zepp-ish “Confessions” finds our man child begging forgiveness because he has sinned, we’re all complicit as he squeezes the juice out of the lemon until it’s dripping down our collective legs.

The boisterous Neil Young-meets-“Sweet Home Alabama” anthem, “Goodbye Carolina,” brings the nearly two-hour long main set to a conclusion, while the encore offers two of the tracks on El Dorado that best define Marcus King’s range, from the earnest, tender, “Beautiful Stranger” to the raucous, swirling, everything-but-the-kitchen-sink “The Well,” in which he follows his mama’s advice and lets the music set him free. “Cornerstone church tried to curse my soul/But the good Lord gave me that rock ‘n’ roll.” 

Marcus King has arrived just in time to keep it alive for the next generation.

Set list

Turn It Up

Where I’m Headed

How Long

One Day She’s Here

I Just Want to Make Love to You

Side Door

Love Song

Sweet Mariona

Good Hearted Woman

Say You Will

Homesick

Break

Always 

Confessions

Plant Your Corn

Goodbye Carolina

Beautiful Stranger (encore)

The Well (encore)