The Marcus King Band — 90.9 The Bridge, Kansas City, 2017

Recorded for public radio station 90.9 The Bridge in Kansas City and released in January 2017, this filmed live session features The Marcus King Band, a group from Greenville, South Carolina. A guitar and vocal prodigy, Marcus King reveals a style at the crossroads of blues, blues rock and Southern soul, in the lineage of the great American guitarist-singers. This stripped-down, audience-free full studio session showcases the leader’s incandescent playing and the cohesion of a band well-versed in improvisation, between incisive riffs and organ flights. The set brings together tracks from the band’s repertoire, including Rita is Gone. The restrained, close-up capture conveys the warmth of a modern blues nourished by tradition and the raw energy of a young musician hailed as one of the hopes of the American roots scene. A prime document for fans of blues, blues rock and live studio sessions, recorded in Kansas City.