If you’re of a certain age, the mere mention of the name Richard Marx will have you whooshing back in time to his HUGE hits of the 80s, in particular, ‘Right Here Waiting’, which reached the top spot on all over the world, including Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, and the US, where it was number 1 on not just the Billboard Top 100, but also the Adult Contemporary, and Contemporary Hit Radio/Pop Airplay charts.
If you don’t know his music – and you really should – you might be familiar with his Twitter account, which sees Marx right up there alongside the likes of James Blunt in terms of intelligent, well-thought out, and often politically charged tweets. Both are definitely worth the follow.
Richard Marx has released total of 12 studio albums, with his most recent, ‘Limitless’, his debut with BMG. The eleven track album is Marx’s first since 2014’s ‘Beautiful Goodbye’, and it stands up with the best of anything else released this year. Marx’s music still falls into the “adult contemporary” genre, but what does that even mean these days? His sound is rocky, radio ready, and limitlessly re-playable.
Starting with ‘Another One Down’, which was released as a single last year, you are immediately aware of the strength of Marx’s voice, which draws immediate comparison to the likes of Jason Mraz, Ed Sheeran, and the aforementioned James Blunt.
Title track ‘Limitless’ is upbeat and rocky, and brings to mind earlier releases by Marx, albeit with a more contemporary twist in the form of some electronic elements, as does fourth track, ‘Let Go’, which he co-wrote with wife Daisy Fuentes, and Morgan Page, known for his work with deadmau5. ‘Let Go’ is a pure love song between Marx and Fuentes, and there’s an urgency to the track which is underlined by lyrics such as “we are running out of time / but the universe is mine”.
‘All Along’ starts out sounding like an 80s movie soundtrack song – think ‘Footloose’ or ‘St Elmo’s Fire’ – the latter of which Marx actually worked on back in the day. Like much of the rest of the album, it’s a bona fide bop, and will have you dancing around your kitchen or living room, or wherever you’re choosing to spend your COVID-19 isolation.
‘Front Row Seat’ has an Americana flavour, and the following track, ‘Strong Enough’, which sees Marx duet with Jana Kramer, continues this vibe.
The pace is dropped a notch with third last song, ‘Not In Love’, which gives Marx the opportunity to show what he can do with a ballad, while penultimate track, ‘Break My Heart Tonight’, sees a slight electronic element return, while album closer ‘This One’ is a mostly acoustic piece, and an ideal final song, allowing Marx’s pure vocals to shine.
Like everyone else at the moment, Richard Marx is unable to commence his much anticipated UK and European tour, which would have seen him perform in London and Edinburgh this April. The tour has been rescheduled to start in the autumn, with Edinburgh on November 16, and two dates in London on January 21 and 22, 2021. ticketholders should contact their point of purchase for updates about the tour, or for a full refund. Tickets already purchased will be honoured at all the rescheduled shows.
Richard spoke of the tour,
“To ensure the health and safety of my fans coming to the shows, the upcoming European tour has to be rescheduled due to the global health crisis. I am filled with so much gratitude for my fans and was so excited for an amazing European tour. These shows have been sold out for months and I was ready to have an amazing night of music with everyone. I will be back soon and we will have an amazing time!”
‘Limitless’, by Richard Marx, is now available here through BMG. Find out more about Richard and his music and tour, on his official website.
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