D.L. Marble - 'One Line At A Time' Album Review

Tracklist:

1. Ocean Beach

2. Same Damn Thing

3. Tonight

4. Undefeated

5. One Line At A Time

6. Break Even

7. Bombay

8. California Memory

9. Better Than Me

10. Chasing You

I love it when friends bring me new music to check out as almost always I find something I enjoy. Sometimes, there are moments when I then have to turn around and let a bunch of other people know so consider this one of those special times. D.L. Marble’s first release came after I had already left Arizona so I am catching him on album #3. He has put together an album that I have been playing A LOT since I bought it, and it will continue to get a lot of plays going forward.

Ironically, the opening song doesn’t resonate with me as much as most of the album with ‘Ocean Beach’ an acoustic rocker conjuring visions of driving down the highway with the ocean and beaches covering the horizon. It has been a grower, and I attribute some of that to the lyrics because they really resonate with me and some personal experiences. ‘Same Damn Thing’ comes next and is quite simply magical. It connects in every way and is one of my favorite songs of the year. It has a Red Dirt feel and would be right at home on an album by the likes of Wade Bowen, Randy Rogers, and Cody Canada. If Marble can find a way to push this at Texas radio stations, he would likely have a huge regional hit on his hands. He provides another should be hit single next with ‘Tonight.’ This is another Red Dirt rocker that successfully blends the line between Rock and Country with a great hook. It highlights something I have found when I play this album, it is impossible to try and do anything else because I get caught up in the album.

Marble slows things a touch with ‘Undefeated’ where he provides a great vocal with some extremely moving lyrics that will touch your soul. Marble writes about themes that are universal and packs them with genuine heart and emotion. The musical outro here should serve as an extended jam live as well. The title track follows with a harder tempo, and I think it was on about my 10th listen of the album that I realized Marble really hits a similar sweet spot as singer/songwriter Bleu Edmonson. ‘Break Even’ starts softly and really captures the sound of a heart breaking into pieces with some powerful lyrics.

There was only one way to go next, and that is with the up tempo ‘Bombay’ putting some bounce in our step. I can see fans of Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers really enjoying this one as well. The lyrics still talk about the one that got away, but there is a lightness in emotion that gives the song a lift. We return to a ballad with ‘California Memory.’ This is one of those moments where, in a perfect world, Marble would be singing this solo live on an acoustic guitar with a solitary spotlight shining down on him. The music here really takes a backseat to the vocals.

As we reach towards the end of the album, Marble unleashes the rocking ‘Better Than Me’ which perhaps recalls the rocking side of something like Whiskey Myers. This remains the other song though that just doesn’t hit me quite the same as the others. I think some of it might actually be down to the mix here as there is a lot going on that gets lost blending together. Marble ends the album with another classic in ‘Chasing You.’ It is that point after all the heart break where we have moved past it and look back in wonderment at everything that has transpired. The line of ‘I don’t chase my whiskey; I sure as hell ain’t chasing you’ is perfectly stated.

Marble has delivered a great album that ends way too quickly as I swear that 35 minutes comes and goes faster and faster. These songs need to be heard around the world. With a little bit of luck, he will manage to sneak some on the radio here in Texas and begin to explode in this market. With the likes of Whiskey Myers and Blackberry Smoke among others building their followings around the world, the sky is really the limit as these songs will connect with people everywhere. My musical world got better the moment this album arrived in my ears. Let it do the same for you.

‘One Line At A Time’ is available now.