Marcus King has shared the new music video for “The Well”, the first single off his forthcoming debut solo album, El Dorado, due out on January 17th, 2020 via Fantasy Records.
The video showcases the cathartic influence of rock n’ roll as the young guitarist/vocalist “leads an enraptured congregation to redemption with an invigorating performance.” The video was directed by Reid Long (Eric Church, The Black Keys, Brothers Osbourne).
Since the release of “The Well” as a single in October, the song has received glowing reviews from critics and received extensive radio airplay, making it one of his most successful songs to date. As King told Relix about the track, “‘The Well’ captures the spirit of a gospel revival, the feeling of community, and the friendship of us all coming together to feel something powerful.” Watch the new music video for Marcus King’s “The Well” below:
Marcus King – “The Well” [Official Music Video]
[Video: MarcusKingBandVEVO]
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On set for “The Well” video shoot red shirt, inspired by @blackfootwhitefoot
Marcus King recorded El Dorado with producer Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys at his Easy Eye Sound studio in Nashville, TN. As Auerbach notes, “Marcus is known by so many as a phenom guitar player, and rightfully so. He’s regularly the best player in the room, hands down. I was equally blown away by the way he can sing – so effortless, so soulful, straight from the heart.”
El Dorado is a contemporary exploration of southern R&B, country-soul, classic rock and blues, where subtle acoustics and pedal steel shine bright alongside raucous electric guitars and blistering solos. Marking a new sonic direction and with King’s remarkable voice taking center stage, El Dorado is set to further establish King as one of the most soulful voices of his generation.
Marcus King previously spoke about the then-unannounced new project earlier this summer on Andy Frasco’s World Saving Podcast. “This is not a Marcus King Band album,” the guitarist explained. “And it doesn’t sound like a Marcus King Band record either. … This was a different thing. … We just wanted to make a classic Americana record. Dan had this idea and we wanted to follow through with it. I think in the long run it’s going to be beneficial to me and all the guys … We all do things separate from this [The Marcus King Band] and that’s all it was, just a separate venture, and it sounds different than anything we would do, ya know? I’m very proud of it. There’s a lot of soulful tunes on this record.”
King also revealed that the new album features drummer Gene Chrisman (Aretha Franklin, Bobby Womack), bassist Dave Roe (Jerry Reed), keyboardist Bobby Woods (the Memphis Boys, Elvis Presley), and guitarist Billy Sanford, whose work includes the lead riff on Roy Orbison‘s “Pretty Woman”.
Prior to recording El Dorado, Auerbach had worked with King to co-write “How Long”, a track on The Marcus King Band’s Goodbye Carolina. Beyond their musical collaborations, Auerbach also served as a life mentor when King moved to Nashville late last year, giving him some advice that would go on to influence not just the car he drives, but the title of the new album.
As King told Live For Live Music in a 2018 interview,
“One thing I found out about myself recently was that I wanted a car that had some style and I think that may have stemmed from the last time I hung out with my good friend Dan Auerbach. Dan has this old truck parked in his yard and a late ’90s black Cadillac, so told him I was thinking about buying an old truck. Dan said, ‘Bro, I keep that old truck back here just to deter my friends from buying old trucks. It’s a lawn ornament, man. Don’t do it, you’ll have to work on it all the time.’ Auerbach said, ‘Get you a Cadillac, man, you’ll never go over the speed limit in a Cadillac because you’ll be way too cozy.’”
“Those words really stuck with me,” says King. “So I started looking for the right Cadillac for me, and what I came up with was this 1980 El Dorado with a tire on the back. That’s my new whip, I just have to name it.”
In keeping with the “El Dorado” theme, The Marcus King Band recently announced an extensive El Dorado Tour. For a full list of Marcus King’s upcoming tour dates, see below. For ticketing information, head here.