No secret anymore
Markus Rill wins the audience over in record time
Neustadt/WN. (tos) It usually takes a performer a little time to win over his audience. Not so for Markus Rill from Würzburg who had his audience of 80 under his spell in a heartbeat at his recent concert at the Alte Schießstätte in Neustadt. This should come as no surprise since the singer-songwriter is no insider tip on the roots music scene anymore.
Being the only European on a well-reputed US record label, Rill has made an excellent name for himself with six albums and various tours in the US and Europe. Whether playing solo or accompanied by virtuoso pianist Andi Obieglo, when he takes to the stage with his acoustic guitar and various harmonicas, Rill sheds everything German about himself and dives deep into his engaging mixture of Rock, Folk, Gospel, Country, and Blues.
One of the strongest songs on his new album is The Price You Pay For Sin, a love triangle ballad that'll give the listener goose bumps. That some of Rill's songs sound like film music has not gone unnoticed. "If you ever see a horror flick and find the music surprisingly good, it could be one of my songs", he joked referring to two US movies using three of his songs.
As of yet, the shooting star lacks some of his older colleagues' desire to go on at length about the stories behind the songs. Rill prefers to let his songs and lyrics do the talking. With the exception of the Cyberspace Love Song, a humorous ditty about initiating love via the internet, he focuses on the classical, down-to-earth topics and gives his songs a unique spin. With a dry sandpaper voice that he sometimes navigates into the depths usually mined by Tom Waits or Chris Rea, he always achieves the desired effect.
The audience listened attentively to his quieter songs and made the Schießstätte shake trampling along to the rock songs. It was an interesting turn of events when Rill invited jazz singer Caro Weißenberg to the stage. She sang a convincing version of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" and dueted with Rill on "Where Do We Go From Here?"
