By Liza Monroy

A German country singer? I thought skeptically when I first received Markus Rill's new CD, The Price of Sin, his sixth effort. But it only took the opening strains of the first track, Singin' in the Cemetery, to quiet my doubts. Not only did Markus' album reach #3 on the EuroAmericana chart, the melancholy-voiced singer shares a label with Dwight Yoakam and Buddy Miller, and he is the only European to do so.

With twangy guitars and classical country themes running through the songs -
sleeping with your best friend's wife, Bonnie Parker's first love, and the plain ol' blues, fans of country will appreciate The Price of Sin for its loyalty to the genre and display of fine songwriting. Me & Bonnie Parker introduces Roy Thornton ("You may not heard of me, But you've heard of the woman made my life a misery") amid masterful banjo, fiddle and acoustic guitar. The title track, or variation thereof, The Price You Pay for Sin finds a desperate narrator in the throes of a dangerous affair ("I keep thinking about her husband Frank who happens to be my oldest friend") while Carry My Load is a mandolin and dobro laced ode to wandering souls.

He may not look like a cowboy, but with a South by Southwest performance
under his belt and gigs all around Europe and the US, Markus is making his
mark as the country pioneer from Germany.