Marcus King releases new song The Well and announces forthcoming solo album

Marcus King has announced his debut solo album, El Dorado and has released a song in advance of the its release on 17 January 2020 through Fantasy Records.

El Dorado saw the 23-year-old blues sensation decamp to Dan Auerbach's Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville, where he and Auerbach co-wrote a dozen tracks in three days, with Auerbach producing.

Auerbach acknowledged King's talent with an electric guitar but said that his voice and ability to carry a song were equally formidable.

"I was equally blown away by the way he can sing - so effortless, so soulful, straight from the heart," said Auerbach in a statement. "He’s a naturally gifted writer, too, which was clear right away. Everything for him is so innate – that’s why he can always go right to the heart of a song and connect in a deeper way. He’s really one of a kind and I’m proud I got to work alongside him on this record.”

Joining King and Auerbach in the studio were writers including Paul Overstreet, Ronnie Bowman and Pat McLaughlin, with renowned session players Gene Chrisman on drums and Bobby Wood on keys.

The Well is the first song from El Dorado to see the light of day and is available now via streaming and digital services. King says it's a little bit of everything that has influenced him along the way. El Dorado showcases King's blues chops but his style always likes to incorporate different styles so expect some classic rock, country, country-soul and R&B, too. 

The last few years have been huge for King. Right now he has a 32-date tour booked and has just recently taken receipt of a prototype Marcus King signature model ES-345 from Gibson Memphis.

El Dorado is available to pre-order now. 

See Marcus King for more details.

(Image credit: Marcus King)
Jonathan Horsley

Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.

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