Gold Star is the moniker for L.A. country folk tinged singer/songwriter Marlon Rabenreither who follows up his 2015 full-length album Dark Days with his latest release, Big Blue. The album’s title is named after the ramshackle Hollywood home where he produced and recorded the album, but it also reflects the tones that permeate the music. Big Blue is an autobiographical piece about Rabenreither‘s experiences as a travelling troubadour, filled with love, heartache and loneliness, and set to moaning guitars, achy vocals, and a warm harmonica and other traditional sounds while still managing to sound fresh and engaging. Standout tracks include: the lonesome beauty of “Blue Sky to Blue Sky”; the James Baldwin inspired pop song “Sonny’s Blues”; the heartbreaker “It’s Not Easy”; the reflective weeper “San Francisco Good Times”; the Dylan-esque “St. Vincent De Paul’s”; and the bitter sweet break-up song “The Strangler.” Big Blue is accomplished and polished release that evokes both a hazy nostalgia as much as it is soulful; it is definitely one of the best albums released this year. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Ryan Adams, Andrew Combs, Ultimate Painting, Whiskeytown, Wooden Wand