The Fat Angel Sings

In this day and age, it takes a special someone to craft and perform soulful, speckled songs with a hiny of Americana crooning vocals, harmonica, and all without a lick of pretension. That special someone could be Marlon Rabenreither, a Los Angeles–based troubadour who performs under the moniker of Gold Star.

Singing with the sincerity about sleeping in train cars and on headstones—about spying on houses in canyons and escaping from Coney Island he was notably tapped by Lucinda Willams to open her recent shows. Even though he was born in Vienna, Austria, Rabenreither hits the mark when sharing anecdotes of vagabonds and deadbeats he’s met in his travels through the States.

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When he’s not sharing stories about strangers, Rabenreither spills his guts about his own love affairs, breakups, and what it’s like to be all by his lonesome self. “I am breaking down,” he repeats three times on the brief “Blue Sky to Blue Sky,” his voice crackling just a bit more with each refrain. The declaration is as convincing as when he begs to know “Darling, what have I done?” and professes that “It ain’t easy when you’re always on the run” elsewhere on Big Blue.

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Having embellished his musical performances following that previous, sparely constructed release, comparisons to The Band will abound. But Rabenreither who, mind you, is a solo artist. Does he really belongs in the company of artists like Margo Price or Sturgill Simpson on their mission to scrape the polish off mainstream country. Gold Star has the songs and the goods.

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