Marlon Williams

"Każda piosenka jest postacią", mówi Marlon Williams o swoim solowym debiucie.

"Nigdy nie śpiewam z charakterem, nawet jeśli jest to bardzo osobista piosenka, po jej napisaniu nie należy do mnie."

Album został nominowany do 5 nowozelandzkich nagród muzycznych i australijskiej nagrody ARIA.

"Each song is a character," says Marlon Williams of his self-titled solo debut: a remarkably assured and diverse nine-track tapestry, united by one of the most versatile and evocative voices you'll hear this or any other year. "I don't really ever sing out of character. Even if it's a very personal song, once it's written it doesn't belong to me."

Recording the record at home, utilizing The Sitting Room in Lyttelton Harbour (New Zealand), Williams' deep-rooted bonds birth an eclectic, yet cohesive set that ranges from acrobatic opener "Hello Miss Lonesome" to the wry coffee house wisdom of "Everyone's Got Something To Say", via Rubber Soul-ful zinger "After All" and "Lonely Side Of Her"'s beauteous barroom empathy.

Its author’s easygoing gender fluidity is expressed through his revelatory, androgynous reading of the traditional lament "When I Was A Young Girl", previously hymned by Nina Simone and Feist, among others.

This ability to truly inhabit his material illuminates Williams' majestic rendering of such diverse touchstones as classic orch-pop ballad "Lost Without You" and conceptual, 1974-vintage nugget "Silent Passage" (originally by Bob Carpenter, a Canadian of First Nations heritage). These covers blend seamlessly with novelistic noir standouts "Strange Things" and "Dark Child" (co-credited to childhood choral pal Tim Moore, now a palliative care nurse), which deliver gallows humor with a widescreen groove.

Having been nominated for 5 New Zealand Music Awards, an Australian ARIA Award and completed sold out album release tours, this Southern Hemisphere star's eagerly awaited international release should see Marlon Williams soar.

* Phonographic Copyright (p) – Marlon Williams

* Copyright (c) – Marlon Williams

* Recorded At – The Sitting Room, Lyttelton Harbour

* Pressed By – Zenith Records – ZE4671

* Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar – Aaron Tokona (tracks: A1)

* Bass Guitar – Ben Woolley (tracks: A1 to A4, B1, B2)

* Design [Album Design By] – The Next Episode

* Drums – AJ Park (tracks: A1 to A4, B2), Joe McCallum (tracks: B1)

* Electric Guitar – Marlon Williams (6) (tracks: A2, A4), Rang Lloyd (tracks: A3), Simon Gregory (3) (tracks: A4)

* Lacquer Cut By – Connor Dalton

* Mastered By – Ben Delany

* Pedal Steel Guitar [Pedal Steel] – John Egenes (tracks: B1)

* Photography By [Back Cover Image By] – Justyn Strother

* Photography By [Cover Image By] – Warwick Baker

* Producer [Produced By] – Marlon Williams (6)

* Producer [Produced By], Engineer [Engineered By], Mixed By – Ben Edwards

* Synth – Ben Edwards (8) (tracks: A3, B2), Marlon Williams (6) (tracks: A4)

* Violin – Anita Clark (2) (tracks: B2), Mikey Somerfield (tracks: A4, B1)

* Vocals – Aldous Harding (tracks: A1, A5 to B2, B4), Ben Brown (21) (tracks: B4), Ben Woolley (tracks: A1 to A3, B1, B2), David Williams (42) (tracks: A2)

* Vocals, Acoustic Guitar – Marlon Williams (6)

* Written-By – Marlon Williams (6) (tracks: A1, A5, B2, B4)