Richard Marx - Songwriter (Album Review)
From his self-titled, triple platinum-selling debut album in 1987 to ‘Limitless’ in 2020, Richard Marx has had an unerring knack for a melody (not to mention a pretty wonderful voice). Marx's songwriting skills have enabled him to stay relevant throughout his nearly forty-year career. His sound has evolved over time, with the punchy guitars of the late 80s replaced by a smoother, more R&B/pop sound tailored to radio and streaming services. Along the way, his song craft has been in high demand, co-writing and/or contributing songs to a startling array of artists from Kenny Rogers to Keith Urban via NSYNC, Luther Vandross and Vixen. An impressive CV, but where does that chameleon-like ability to pen hit songs come from? How does he do it? Hopefully, ‘Songwriter’ might give us a bit of a clue as we take a journey through twenty tracks encompassing four genres; pop, rock, country and ballads.
“I’ve had such an amazing opportunity in my songwriting career to write all kinds of songs with, and for, all kinds of artists. It finally occurred to me that there was no reason not to record an album of my own that touches on multiple genres I love”
In 2022, I’ve a sad feeling that modern pop music is all about the beats, the BPM, usually accompanied by a wall of keys and liberal use of auto-tune. It’s difficult to tell one artist from the next, but, as with all things, the cream always rises to the top. On the five tracks Marx presents here in the opening pop section of ‘Songwriter’ it’s apparent that Marx can hold his own with the likes of Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Olivia Rodrigo. The opening track, and first single, ‘Same Heartbreak Different Day’ written with Michael Jade and Marx’s son Lucas is light, airy and actually rather nice, if a little insubstantial. The seductive ‘Only A Memory’ is far superior with the addition of strings alongside the pulsing keys, while ‘Anything’ might be in the pop section but screams Lady A and could move into the country section of the disc with a little less vocal tinkering and a small injection of twang. A point forced home by ‘Moscow Calling’ where the beats and keys are supplemented by some light guitar crunch and liberal use of strings, especially on the coda. The set concludes with the anthemic ‘Believe In Me’, a successful marriage between pop and rock that I could imagine high up on a Spotify playlist, even if I found the track a little truncated. The pop tracks here emphasise Marx’s strengths as a songwriter. A Marx demo can be whatever the chosen artist wants it to be. I wouldn’t consider anything in the pop section of ‘Songwriter’ to be essential, but then I’m hardly the target demographic. With that being said, the songs are pretty good and have been steadily growing on me.
I wondered how “rock” Richard Marx wanted to be in 2022? Well, if the opening track of the rock section ‘Shame On You’ is anything to go by, very is the answer. Co-written with Jesse Marx, ‘Shame On You’ fairly screams out of the speakers on a wall of super crunchy guitars that wouldn’t be out of place on a 00s Daughtry, Hinder or Adelitas Way album. Marx spits out the lyrics like his life depends on it and still finds room for a melodic chorus hook. I think it’s pretty clear who the object of Marx’s disdain is. Marx is well known for his no holds barred approach on social media channels which is plain to see here with the singer in full-on rock mode. While nothing else is quite as hard-edged as ‘Shame On You’ the thick guitars of ‘We Are Not Alone’ aren’t all that far behind. Probably the best song in this section is the Matt Scannell (Vertical Horizon) co-write ‘My Love, My Enemy’ although the drivin’ ‘Just Go’ with its insistent guitar lines and harmony vocal-driven chorus pushes it close. I’ve not even mentioned the Chris Daughtry/Jason Wade (Lifehouse) co-write ‘One More Yesterday’ which harks back to prime late 80s Marx (Editor’s Note: Marx fans might/will have noticed that ‘Just Go’ and ‘Moscow Calling’ both appeared as bonus tracks on his 2014 album ‘Beautiful Goodbye’).
Marx enjoyed his first success as a songwriter back in 1984 with a country music legend in Kenny Rogers, so it’s a little surprising that it took the Nashville scene so long to rediscover him. In recent years country music has effectively been AOR with added twang making Marx the perfect country songwriter due to his knack for melody and storytelling ability. This is perfectly encapsulated by the punchy swagger of ‘Everything I’ve Got’ (country music still seems to always find room for a guitar solo which is just fine by me). The Keith Urban co-write ‘One Day Longer’ might be sung by Richard but is perfect for Keith due to the interaction between the vocal melody and the guitars. The song was actually written years ago and sat gathering digital dust on a hard drive until now (In a recent interview, Richard recalled how Keith said he loved it but couldn’t remember it). ‘Misery Loves Company’ has probably the perfect country lyric revolving around drinking, loneliness and heartbreak. ‘Breaking My Heart’ is next up with Darius Rucker and in-demand songwriter David Hodges (Evanescence/Trading Yesterday) on co-writing duties. This and set closer ‘We Had It All’ are again excellent. I feel that Marx is at his best when working with real musicians and instruments and country-tinged material just seems like a natural fit for his voice and songs.
Photo Credit: Cole Miller
Marx has seemingly enjoyed his greatest commercial success over the years with ballads, so it’s hardly surprising that the person who wrote ‘Right Here Waiting’ and ‘Dance With My Father’ would conclude the set with five ballads. The expansive ‘Still In My Heart’ co-written with Richard Page (Mr Mister) is a gorgeous piano and string-laden ballad that showcases a terrific Marx vocal. ‘Maybe’ is equally good as keys and piano gently underpin acoustic guitars, “Maybe we’re not too lost to be found” Richard sings, and it’s hard to argue. The orchestral introduction giving way to piano that ushers in ‘As If We’ll Never Love Again’, Co-written with Gary Burr of Blue Sky Riders, is just beautiful and will have many a Marx fan swooning. Marx has written with many famed songwriters, but I’m guessing that ‘Always’ co-written with Burt Bacharach must have been a bucket list moment. Richard and Burt keep it relitively simple and very old-school on a piano and strings number that works but leaves you wanting a little more.
‘Songwriter’ is an ambitious project. The chameleon-like ability with a song I mentioned earlier is on full display with plenty of fine tunes to choose from, whatever your taste. I’m sure people have discovered Richard Marx throughout his career and will gravitate to different styles. I’ll let the listener decide that one, but I’m happy to just listen to Richard Marx sing whatever genre he chooses.
A new name to me, but based on the new EP, ‘Tigers in Your Backyard (Nocturnal Edition)’, Molly Murphy is one to watch. Initially, Molly embarked on a promising college career as a double Film and English Major pursuing a career in screenwriting but left all that behind to form a band (as you do). Murphy’s latest release finds the singer-songwriter adding a modern sheen to her traditional Celtic roots.