[rating=9.00]
When Marlon Williams’ excellent and critically acclaimed self-titled album was released two years ago the narrative around it was predictably uniform, is a Kiwi the greatest hope for Americana country and folk music? The New Zealander’s sound was easy to fall in love with as he evoked the great 50s and 60s voices of Tennessee and perfectly married it with his own rich musical experience and influences in New Zealand and Australia. It felt uniquely contemporary in the manner in which its timeless qualities unfolded. Now, with follow-up Make Way For Love, Williams sets about refining that quality as he softly illuminates the dark and unexplored aspects of his music; carefully expanding his sound while anchoring his identity.
Much has made of the personal nature of this album in the build-up and promotional material. His previous record felt observant, telling its tales through a range of characters and providing some of its best moments through covers of the likes of Nina Simone, Teddy Randazzo and Bob Carpenter. Williams inevitably received appraise, if not quite criticism, over his capacity to match his breadth of proficiency with depth. But here – reeling from the end of his relationship with fellow excellent New Zealand musician Aldous Harding – he has crafted 13 original and heartfelt songs of love and loss and in doing so has demonstrated an irresistible and personal mastery over songwriting that pushes far beyond his years.
Extraditing himself to America where he recorded in Northern California’s Panorama Studios with Noah Georgeson, Williams continues to let go of the alt-country tag that has followed him. This is a record that saunters through styles as the songs line up after each other to invoke all manner of classic eras of music, all wrapped around that voice. And what a voice it is too. Distinct, effortless and diverse, Williams has the gift of sounding like a thousand timeless voices and in doing so sounding only like himself. Sometimes sultry baritone, others haunting croon; comparisons to 50s rock greats Roy Orbison and Elvis Presley are inevitable but are summoned through a very positive lens. It’s seen most obviously in lead single ‘What’s Chasing You’ with Williams rolling lines like “I don’t understand a single word that you’re sayin’, baby are you talkin’ to me” with a delightful Presley drawl before easing into a hook of a chorus the Big O would be proud of.
But to leave the comparisons there does Williams a great disservice. There’s an incredible diversity to Make Way For Love, both in the styles he utilizes and the themes he explores. The many facets of love are woven into a myriad of techniques, telling tales and channeling the balladry of singers gone by. Jealousy and bitterness dominate the rockabilly swagger of ‘Party Boy’ as Williams builds a subtly violent threat to anyone caught “sniffing around his pride and joy” before invoking more than a little Chris Isaak with the brooding and lonely longing of ‘Can I Call You’. The country rock’n’roll of Johnny Cash permeates ‘I Know a Jeweller’ while there’s a Sinatra quality to the resigned piano balladry of ‘Love is a Terrible Thing’ as Williams croons “people tell me boy, you got lucky; but I feel about as lucky as a snowman in the spring.”
It’s lines like this with which Williams captures the essence of heartache and romance and avoids the tropes of a typical break-up album. Gorgeous string-laden opener ‘Come to Me’ explores desire amid distance with professions of “when you find me we’ll share our troubles and fears, they’ll wither over the years”; a sentiment offset by the time he reaches ‘I Didn’t Make a Plan’ where he boldly professes “I didn’t make a plan to break your heart, but it’s the sweetest thing I’ve ever done”, in a rich baritone that channels any number of 50s icons. Fittingly, the broken-hearted lover in question joins him on “Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore” – recorded after their breakup – as Williams and Harding trade lines and harmonies in the most bittersweet of duets.
This is an album that feels like Williams turning his back on the idea that his pursuit of broadness over depth diminishes his identity. He has boldly embraced the pursuit of a deeply personal album without feeling the need to change the breadth of sound that has brought him success. Indeed, he has expanded and refined it by managing to pay homage to the great traditions without it ever coming across as tribute or pastiche. It shouldn’t be understated just how impressive his ability to gather and revitalize a wide range of styles and influences into a single and unique identity is, and this ability is making him one of the most important singers and songwriters of a generation. Incredibly, there still feels like much more to come from Williams but nevertheless, Make Way For Love captivates you, demands further listening and is utterly spellbinding from start to finish.
