Thursday October 14, 2021
Music artist Marc Hess has released Book of Life, a captivating country pop-rock track with an atypically thoughtful and probing lyric.
The Austrian singer-songwriter has had many successful releases, including the debut solo album Because I’m Crazy (2014) and the single Mile By Mile (2019). His solo album was a semi-finalist in the United Kingdom Songwriting Contest in 2014. The formally trained multi-talented musician and renowned music educator has had an equally multi-faceted career, including working as an MD, producer, and performer in several musicals, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Hair, and the Austrian premiere of Rent.
What the new release reveals about this artist above all else is that Marc is a storyteller. Book of Life blends country sensibilities with an adult contemporary pop-rock style, utilising rousing guitar work and celebratory energy to highlight a narrative exploring chance, destiny, history, and fate—all from a personal vantage point, one that is vividly universal and wondrously poetic. A recurring intro guitar riff sets the tone, presenting a balanced amount of country and rock—until the verse arrives with its easy-going melodic fervour.
The arrangement resists revealing the chorus until a couple of passes of the verse, a tactic that seems to work, creating anticipation and a subtle sense of drama. Another surprise is the breakdown verse so soon into the song, another strategy that pays off, with the intro guitar riff providing breathing space and satisfying differentiation of parts.
The production caters to a country-rock design, with driving rhythms and a carefree manner in Hess’s voice, and not to mention the banjo lines that provide a warm texture without becoming overbearing. The new single is from the forthcoming album Book of Life, due out in 2022. Marc Hess’s latest release introduces his distinct and diverse artistic approach to the world, a musical experience that is equal parts joyous, revealing, and unforgettable.
Marc Hess