The headliner, Arizona’s DL Marble, writes great, straight-forward relatable songs and his producer/collaborator guitarist Eric Ambel can always be counted on for the driving, jangly, gutsy, rocking hooks. The combination works extraordinarily well, so much so that the two reunite again for the Brooklyn-produced One Line at a Time. (Ambel also co-produced Marble’s 2016 Not the One). This is Marble’s seasoned backing band, who often hold court in Phoenix and their home base of Tempe where Marble owns a bar named Marauders. They are DL Marble on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, Eric “Roscoe” Ambel on backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitar; Roger Singleton on electric guitar; A.D. Adams on drums and percussion; Paul Williams on bass and Gigi Dixon on keys. It was mastered by Richard Dodd and engineered by Mario Viele. Their collective sound will remind you of those great rock n’ roll albums that we’re just not hearing much anymore.
The multi-faceted Marble, who is also a sailor operating out of both Mexico and San Diego, begins with one of those let-the-wind-blow-back-your-hair love songs with the infectious, stirring “Ocean Beach” – “It’s you, the sun, and the ocean beach” delivered fondly as he is obviously overcoming the pain of her loss. “Same Damn Thing” just plainly hits home with lyrics such as “cause everybody’s out here looking for the same damn thing. We all keep swinging to just strike out.” “Tonight” lyrically captures that same urge to escape made so iconic in Springsteen songs like “Born to Run” and “Thunder Road.” “Undefeated” though is not light but instead reaches deeper as he sings about the vagaries of life being merciless and often crushing. Nonetheless, due mostly to Ambel’s soaring melodic guitar solo, it’s easy on the ears.
The title track is the epitome of the Marble-Ambel collaboration as the former lays out the storylines of a life; imbued again by Ambel’s crafty axe work. “Break Even” is another deep soul stirrer as Marble uses landscape metaphors to denote pain, his voice cracking audibly with emotion. Ambel harmonizes and mixes his searing electric guitar with weeping pedal steel to accent the sorrow. “Bombay” is about the lonely, yearning existence of the troubadour – “Singing for my drinks at the Club Bombay/Now, the bartender – she’s lookin’ sweet at me/Maybe here mind’s on bigger things/But, I don’t got it in me these days…these days.” “California Memory,” the only real ballad, speaks to that ever-elusive relationship that never blossomed as hoped. “Better Than Me” moves into a punked-up raging defiant kiss-off to a former lover that, this time won’t linger in memory.
“Chasing You” again covers similar emotionally tortured turf as the narrator watches yet another lover leaving without saying goodbye. “I sure as hell ain’t chasing you” crystallizes the bitter feel on this one with electric guitars, emphatic harmonies and out of the seeming anger, a triumphant confident stance borne out of the dense ringing guitars. It does such a great job of getting the blood stirring, that it becomes almost a natural reflex to hit ‘repeat.’ Like we said, leave it to Marble and Ambel to let us know how much we miss a good, strong, simple rock n’ roll record.
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