Concert Review: Marlon Williams Is The Millennial Elvis At Rough Trade NYC
As I told my buddy Sam, I was excited to see Marlon Williams because just listening to his voice makes me melt. Actually, I have a picture of me, literally, at his show at Rough Trade:
Williams might be the Millennial Elvis. I could not help but think of this legend or Roy Orbison as Williams crooned his voice like his life was set on an eternal, last dance. There he just swayed in romance and remorse with the love of his life. Yet, for songs buried in the bitterness of lost love, Williams is a cheeky fella. He could not stop tossing witty, self-deprecating jokes, especially at the fearful skeleton, in the back, that made him feel like he was on the set of Donnie Darko. (It was pretty creepy!). I laughed and fell in love with the singer whose vibratto could make a ghost say, “Damn, he sounds haunted!”. While Williams played classics like, “Dark Child” and “Hello Miss Lonesome”, the night was a series of new material, which was pretty surprising. It takes a lot of confidence to surprise a crowd with new material, especially when we all go to a concert to heart the hits we know. Yet, Williams voice could sing nursery rhymes on loop, and you would pay for the ticket.
Tracks like, “Party Boy”, “Fire of Love”, “What’s Chasing You”, and “Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore” are literally your future cry-fests. These songs leaped in lyrical worth, and completely fed every ounce of negativity you never really wanted to let go. Sometimes, I think the hardest things to accept in life is triumph. We all get so used to or impacted by our losses that a “win” feels like an unusual trick. Williams plays to that notion by making his songs dedicated to “lost love”, of which he brightly laughed at noticing his constantly dark theme. Every track was about making bad choices but looking for good times, which is the story of every life, especially, love. Humans are defined by the bad situations that occur and the better solutions they seek, which is why Williams music touched my soul. He understands that flaws are as much a builder of relationships as faith, and, with his voice, I believe. It is so deep and gurgled in gold and silver that it is no wonder it sounds like classic singers rather than modern ones. Marlon Williams may be a Millennial, but he belongs in a music time when love songs were made for beauty rather than billboards. For More Information On Marlon Williams Click Here.
