User Submitted Album

Carolina Confessions

The Marcus King Band

2018

3.1

Rating

201

Votes

Distribution

Blues Rock

Album Summary

The Marcus King Band is a southern rock/blues band from South Carolina formed in 2013. The band is led by guitarist Marcus King. Raised in Greenville, South Carolina, King was brought up on the blues, playing shows as a pre-teen sideman with his father, the fellow bluesman Marvin King. The band includes drummer Jack Ryan, bassist Stephen Campbell, and guitarist Drew Smithers. Touring musicians consist of saxophonist Chris Spies, and keyboard player, Mike Runyon. On August 22, 2018, it was announced the band would release their third full-length LP, Carolina Confessions, on October 5, 2018, via Fantasy Records. The album was recorded at RCA Studio A in Nashville and produced and mixed by Dave Cobb.[5] While not entering the Billboard 200, it was the band's first entry on the magazine's US Top Current Albums chart, peaking at No. 55,[6] and was another No. 2 hit on the Blues chart for them. The album also reached No. 2 on the Heatseekers Albums chart.

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Reviews

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May 23 2024 Author

A very amiable listen. Some interesting things going on musically - while country rock influences like Skynyrd and Allman Brother were evident, I detected shades of Zeppelin, Eagles, even Steely Dan in some of the jazzier sections. The lyrics, though functional, were kind of basic and leaned heavily into cliché.

May 22 2024 Author

The guitar inclusions are this record's highlights. The rest of the music is soulful and, as a body, directionless. Nothing sticks out as bad just as nothing sticks together. Forgettable for non-blues-heads.

May 22 2024 Author

A southern bluesy country outfit. I like classic country a lot, and I'm sure that there is still great country being produced, but it feels like there is a lot of subpar stuff to slog through to find the gems. So I like when someone submits something like this! Thanks for finding it so I didn't have to. It sounds a bit like CCR or Lynyrd Skynyrd at times, and then other times just sounds like some classic country. I don't think I'm going to rush out and buy the album, or add it to my active listening playlists, but I'm glad to know that it exists. Next time someone tells me that there's no good country music anymore, I'll point them to Marcus King Band.

May 22 2024 Author

I enjoyed this quite a bit and added a few songs to my playlist of similar soundscapes. Thanks

May 23 2024 Author

Blues/Southern Rock is probably one of my least favorite of the rock genres.... but this is good. At times it game me Janis Joplin vibes... Standouts: Where I'm Headed, Goodbye Carolina, Confessions, Remember Better than expected. Rating: 3.5

May 23 2024 Author

Easy and enjoyable album to listen to. Marcus King has a stunning, soulful voice and wrote some great tracks for this album. 3.7/5

May 26 2024 Author

I'm not a big "southern rock" fan, but this is really nice. 4 stars.

May 26 2024 Author

Rating: 8/10 Best songs: Goodbye Carolina, Homesick, How long, Confessions

Jun 12 2024 Author

Excellent!

Jul 08 2024 Author

Nothing original or innovative or ground breaking just excellent classic rhythm and blues soul executed to an extremely high standard with feel and appropriate voice, guitar work, rhythm section and keys and horn arrangements. Wonderful.

Aug 21 2024 Author

Lay this slab of soulful southern rock on me. Reminiscent of early St. Paul and the Broken Bones. I like it. Rating: 4 Playlist track: Goodbye Carolina Date listened: 23/08/24

Aug 22 2024 Author

Marcus King is a hell of a guitarist and singer. He expertly navigates between blues, Americana, country, and even funk/motown. This album was a great pick from a genre that is underrepresented in the original list.

Sep 08 2024 Author

Blues, southern rock. Me ha gustado, un 4.

Sep 23 2024 Author

Surprised and really enjoyed this. It soulful and southern... like a cross between Chris Stapleton and The Commitments (soundtrack). Goodbye Carolina and Autumn Rains are great and there's enough else that is easily approachable and hits that vibe to stay engaged.

Sep 23 2024 Author

It's a good album. Really like his voice. Music is really upbeat and just very easy to listen to. Nothing over indulgent.

Oct 16 2024 Author

The Black Crowes and Skynyrd had a baby and it is the Marcus King Band. This is some great modern era Southern Rock. Maybe not as unfettered and stanky as it could be, there's some hipster withholding on that front, but this music is good, it takes me there. I like the cadence of the singer's voice.

Oct 22 2024 Author

Some nice rocky bluesy music that was easy to sit back and enjoy.

Oct 22 2024 Author

Decent.

Dec 11 2024 Author

Nice southern rock album by The Marcus King Band. The voice and performance of the singer is truly outstanding.

Jan 12 2025 Author

Im familiar with some of Marcus kings songs and am I fan, so really enjoyed this album, my sort of music.

Feb 09 2025 Author

This was an awesome southern rock album, I kept quite a few songs.

Mar 12 2025 Author

Bluesy brilliance, with vocals and guitar playing from the top drawer

Apr 25 2025 Author

I enjoyed this one quite a bit!

May 16 2025 Author

Soulfully strong and Southern. Seems so historically informed and pristinely authentic to 1972 Muscle Shoals vibes as to be a museum piece. "Homesick" is first-rate, as is "Side Door." Not sure it quite merits inclusion for the list proper, but it's certainly not far off and one's very glad to know it. Saw this guy live a year ago and was moderately impressed, but much more so now after hearing the record.

Aug 25 2025 Author

Usually, this brand of southern rock isn't my thing. Dude has a beautiful voice, though, and he does a good job of mixing in soul and gospel into the music. Nice amount of variety in the music too. I thought this album was a really pleasant surprise 4/5

Oct 21 2025 Author

Thought this might be too derivative, and it sounds like it might be to start with, but it actually goes to some interesting places within its very 70s template.

Oct 29 2025 Author

A big gourmet potato salad Times like these are why I sometimes struggle with star ratings. My four stars include both some of the greatest, most ambitious albums of all time, as well as, uh, good ol' fashioned southern rock, sung and played well. But then, when I try to devise a system that takes influence into account, it always gets defeated by me thinking something along the lines of "Well I liked Carolina Confessions too much for a 3 star..." 4/5 ☆, like A Love Supreme

Oct 29 2025 Author

Blues, southern rock. Me ha gustado, un 4.

May 22 2024 Author

Never heard of Marcus King nor his band before, but he didn't disappoint! Really pleasant album.

May 22 2024 Author

A nice, soulful and groovy kinda rock. Kudos

May 22 2024 Author

Not too bad, rocks a bit. Maybe a bit too much "blues superstar" attitude for my liking overall, but I've definitely heard worse. 3/5.

May 23 2024 Author

Seemed much of the same near the end

Jun 17 2024 Author

Competent

Aug 19 2024 Author

Soulful, well-made blues rock. Rich with influences, to the point where it almost sounds like something out of another time. Runs out of steam a bit before all is said and done, but I still enjoyed this a lot. Thanks for recommending it. Fave Songs: Where I'm Heading, Goodbye Carolina, How Long, Homesick

Oct 03 2024 Author

If you want new grassy blue country, this is for you.

Nov 23 2024 Author

I got really excited when I saw southern rock but was mildly disappointed when I realized it was the slower, quieter, bluesy stuff instead of the black keys/gary Clark jr type garage sound that’s super heavy on the electric guitars. This was still good tho don’t get me wrong.

Dec 26 2024 Author

This was a solid album by a band I’ve never heard before. They definitely fit the southern rock mold with some bluesy sound mixed with some solid guitar. Other southern rock bands do it better but these guys are still a good listen. It seems like they’re not the most active band but this album has plenty of replay value as it’s chill and easy going. 6.8/10

Feb 01 2025 Author

Rhythm and blues in the more traditional sense. Feels like a big band performing. Maybe a little sterile, but I appreciate some of the turns that they take to keep things interesting. Favorite tracks: "Goodbye Carolina", "Welcome 'Round Here"

Feb 04 2025 Author

A unique add to the list: modern Americana. Dude's voice is great.

Feb 09 2025 Author

I was recommended this man’s music by a friend a long time ago. I had forgotten the name of it, so thank you for reintroducing me! A healthy mix of blues, soul and funk and well performed at that. Didn’t grab me on a personal level, but solid nonetheless!

Feb 10 2025 Author

This was a lovely little surprise. I shall be listening again. Thank you internet.

Feb 18 2025 Author

This seems like perfectly average blues from a 20-year old lad. Sure, it's competent enough, but strays into country a bit too often. I guess he's young and he might improve with age.

Mar 25 2025 Author

Surprisingly good

Mar 26 2025 Author

nice start to the user list for me, good vibes, cool stuff

Mar 27 2025 Author

A really solid country/americana record with some great songwriting and guitar playing. It all gets a little samey after a while and, while it’s all good, there wasn’t anything especially noteworthy for me that elevated it to great

Apr 08 2025 Author

Carolina Confessions is both a really soothing, soulful listen, but also one that seems quite superficial and doesn't find the pathos and depth that legendary acts provided, which is maybe unfair as it's more recent but it effectively sounds like a tribute act to the greats rather than adding anything new. The passion in the vocals is super endearing, can listen to his voice for ages without getting sick of it, and there's some nice guitar accenting to elevate it beyond quite samey melodies otherwise; Homesick and Side Door are my favourite tracks but they only really stand out from the pack because they rise to a more memorable crescendo. It's a high 2 or low 3 because it's not bad at all, it's good in places, just a little bit average in and of itself.

Apr 15 2025 Author

I've seen the Marcus King Band live before as part of a blues festival. If you really love blues rock, which I do, you'll enjoy this. Saying that, it's not like it's exceptional in the way of, say, Tedeschi Trucks Band is. It's fine but really you know what you're getting if I say blues rock band. My personal rating: 3.5/5 My rating relative to the list: 3.5/5 Should this have been included on the original list? No.

Apr 17 2025 Author

Perfectly fine bluesy soulsy

May 19 2025 Author

Solid lazy day music. Somehow made me think of old Rod Stewart in places. Much more interesting musically than lyrically.

Jun 11 2025 Author

Not bad

Oct 29 2025 Author

Blues, southern rock.

May 22 2024 Author

It is a contemporary album and yet it seems from another era, it is not very transcendental or addictive music but in the end it works.

May 22 2024 Author

I don't believe you.

May 23 2024 Author

Eh, fine.

Jun 08 2024 Author

There’s been a large wave of this country-bluegrass revival sweeping the indie scene in the past decade, and I’ll be quite honest in that most of it sounds similar to me. This LP is executed well but barely makes any kind of mark, there’s just not enough personality in the songwriting, instrumentation, or arrangements to make this stand out in any way.

Jun 13 2024 Author

Bluesy nature elevates the country styling a little, however it still gets tiring quickly 1.7

Jun 25 2024 Author

Not working here, this album.

Oct 10 2024 Author

Too soon for this album to be in any Greatest Albums list

Nov 07 2024 Author

It's absolutely not a genre for me. Very technically competent, well produced, tuneful Americana.

Feb 08 2025 Author

I didn't notice the release date and listened to the whole thing thinking that this was a 1970s band. So if their goal was to record "more of the same old, played out country", I'd call it a success. Not for me though.

Feb 09 2025 Author

Country music, a welcome departure but can't say there was much that grabbed my attention. Sounds well made though.

Feb 17 2025 Author

Sounds like a mid afternoon festival support act.

Mar 05 2025 Author

Nice enough

Apr 10 2025 Author

It’s a feast of Southern-fried blues if you’re hungry for it. I would’ve enjoyed Alabama Shakes or Johnny Lang just as easily. Or maybe even Blues Traveler. Yup

Apr 25 2025 Author

Meat-and-potatoes southern country blues with soul flourishes, certainly not unpleasant to listen to, but whose songwriting and arrangements will most probably be quickly forgotten two or three albums later. That lead singer is very good. But he's no Van Morrison. 2/5 for the purposes of this list of essential albums. 7/10 for more general purposes (5 + 2) Number of albums from the original list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 465 Albums from the original list I *might* include in mine later on: 288 Albums from the original list I won't include in mine: 336 ---- Number of albums from the users list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 13 Albums from the users list I *might* select for mine later on: 18 Albums from the users list I won't select for mine: 36 (including this one)

Oct 04 2025 Author

Perfectly pleasant but very bland

Nov 11 2025 Author

About as middle of the road as you can get.