Marcus Trummer: From The Start Review
It is always exciting to witness new, young talent come along and keep the rich heritage of the blues moving forward. Marcus Trummer and his debut release, From The Start (release date, November 15, 2024), gives us all hope that the future is still bright. Trummer, a 23-year-old Canadian born songwriter, singer, and guitarist is musically older than his age would lead us to believe. You may hear reminders of the great music of the ’60s and ’70s in some of his songs; and he proves on this offering that he is a gifted songwriter and singer as well an impassioned guitarist. You are likely to hear a mixture of several styles of music in his songs including blues, rock, soul, Americana, and R&B. Marcus Trummer is already an award winning performer having received the “Prophets Of Music’s Emerging Artist Award” in 2019, the “Emerging Artist Award” from Calgary’s “YYC’s Music Awards” in 2022 and he was the winner of the 2023 Telluride Blues Challenge in Colorado. For his album, From The Start, Trummer has assembled a talented group of musicians and singers in addition to his own bandmates (his 19-year-old brother, Silus, on drums and Stacy Shopsowitz on bass). The awards that he has collected so far likely won’t be the last of this kind of recognition bestowed upon Marcus Trummer and this album may be only the beginning of many more to come.
From The Start’s very first cut is “Holding Out For You,” which is also featured as a video, and may be the highlight of this project. This song is about lost love and waiting and hoping that things can go back to the way they were before. It’s a well written song with some of Trummer’s tasteful guitar playing accentuating emotions in the right places. “Let You Down” will make you want to get your dancing shoes on, grab your sweetheart and go gliding across the floor. It includes some really nice jazz-like guitar fills from Trummer and some really great horns. The third cut on this album is “Hard Time” (with a video that is available online) and it’s an honest look at how life is really hard today in this world that we live in, but there is hope still. I would have honestly loved to have heard an extended break of his great solo in this tune, but still, Trummer’s playing is both skillful and tasteful. One thing we all know is that nothing stays the same and our cars, clothes, homes, jobs; and even our bodies get older every day. The one thing that never gets old is love and that is what Marcus Trummer is singing about in the bluesy number called “The Only Thing.” It is the bluesiest of all the songs on the album. The ninth cut on From The Start is “Ready To Go” and is about being in a place that is familiar, but one that you no longer like and no longer want to be in. Some of the lyrics in this tune sound spiritual and about a need to get out of a dark place in life. The following song on this album, and the last, is “Let The Devil Win”, and it’s a rocking tune for sure and a great way to end the recording. It is also, according to Marcus Trummer, a certain kind of response to the song, “Ready To Go.”
Marcus Trummer’s From The Start is a ten song recording that is filled with great writing, musicianship, vocals, and arrangements. It will be interesting and exciting to see what his future holds. He possesses enough talent and skills to say that the sky is definitely the limit for his musical career. If this debut of his work is any indication about the future then I would say that it looks very promising.
The Review: 9/10
Can’t Miss Tracks
– Holding Out For You
– Hard Time
– The Only Thing
– Let The Devil Win
The Big Hit
– Holding Out For You