Over the last ten years, the German Blue Rose record label has acquired an excellent reputation as purveyor of Americana music. They focus almost exclusively on American artists. The extremely talented Markus Rill is the only German under contract with his compatriots who have artists like Kris Kristofferson, Steve Earle, Buddy Miller, Dwight Yoakam and John Hiatt on their roster.
Rill has been making records for ten years now and well deserves to bet he first spotlight artist of the new year. His new album „The Things that Count“ is his eighth album altogether since the release of his debut „Gunslinger’s Tales“ in 1997.

Rill’s has been recognized several times for his songwriting from the ISC International Songwriting Competition with 15,000 entries and jury members like Tom Waits, Loretta Lynn, and Amy Ray of the Indigo Girls, from the International Unison, the International Narrative Song Contest, American Songwriter magazine and others. He started his musical career in the mid-90ies as a literature student at the University of Texas in Austin. In the meantime, he has toured extensively throughout Europe and the US, headlining & sharing stages with artists like Townes van Zandt, Hal Ketchum, Chris Knight, the Drive-By Truckers, Elliott Murphy, Steve Wynn amd lots of others. He has also recorded with Duane Jarvis and Steve Conn. Our troubadour learned the ins and outs of the songwriter profession growing up in Austin, Tx.
The albums following his aforementioned 1997 debut, „The Devil And The Open Road“ (1999) and „Nowhere Begins (2001), were also recorded in Germany.
With „Hobo Dream“ (2004) he started recording in Nashville. Top producer Duane Jarvis had recruited some formidable musicians to replace Rill’s band „The Gunslingers“: bassist Rick Plant (from Buddy Miller’s band), drummer Billy Block (Jim Lauderdale) and piano, organ & accordion ace Steve Conn. It’s not hard to imagine the results: A formidable Americana record in the tradition of Townes van Zandt, Steve Earle, and Chris Knight, well-sung and beautifully arranged. Just like the songwriting, the arrangements sound very carefully crafted with slide guitar, mandolin, accordion, and Wurlitzer). The album also features three songs cut in Rill’s homewtown of Wuerzburg/Germany but audibly breathing the same air.

From the rocking opener „Heartbreak Town“ to the soulful closer, Rill manages to hold our attention throughout the album - with spectacular numbers like the title track, the Jarvis-driven roots rockers like „Heartbreak Town“ and „Not Yet Shipwrecked“, the accordion-laced „Where Do We Go From Here“ featuring Karen Poston’s pleasant harmonies and the pretty closing number „Far Away From Home (Yet Home)“. This is a particularly successful and soulful Americana album from top to bottom.

The same year, 2004, also saw the release of „The Hobo Companion“, a CD available exclusively through Rill’s website and at his concerts. Rill compiled 13 tracks as a supplement to the successful „Hobo Dream“ album, among them cover versions of Townes van Zandt (Waiting Around To Die), Gillian Welch & David Rawlings (One More Dollar), Robert Earl Keen (So I Can Take My Rest), and Johnny Cash (Folsom Prison Blues). There’s also live recordings of some formidable self-penned songs like „Nowhere Begins“, „A Girl Called Jo“, „Hobo Dream“, „Run Run Run“, and „Where Do We Go From Here?“. On this last number and in the van Zandt/Steve Earle-medley of „If I Needed You/Ft. Worth Blues“ we hear Rachel Harrington who was on tour in the Netherlands last year.

„The Price Of Sin“ was released in May 2006 to spectacular reviews. It landed on numerous year-end best lists of journalists and radio DJs all over Europe. The album was co-produced by Nashville’s Tone Chaperone George Bradfute and Rill and features some of the best-known musicians on the Americana scene: multi-instrumentalist Fats Kaplin (Tom Russell, Dead Reckoners) on fiddle, pedal steel, mandolin, banjo, and accordion, Dave Jacques (John Prine, Patty Griffin, Todd Snider) on upright bass, drummer Bryan Owings (Buddy Miller, Shelby Lynne), and Dave Coleman (The Coal Men). This fantastic album is deeply engrained in American roots music and features twelve intimate acoustic numbers, mainly ballads.

They’re all as beautiful as the opening track „Singin’ In The Cemetery“ in which the singer mourns the death of a loved one. „Wash Away The Stain“ conveys the painful feeling of contrition after having sinned and the closer „Not Ready Yet“ conveys the thoughts of a son in fear of his father’s death. „The Price You Pay For Sin“, the album’s outstanding track, describes the rare emotional combination of desire and regret after having seduced your best friend’s wife. Undoubtedly, this album will last.

Such as "The hobo Companion" from 2004 appeared also previous year is "live" - plate (2007) that only available is during its actions or by means of its own web site, this all to a very attractive prijsje. And at listening to this album, I could without delay note that it products pleasure must be these hear lords live to the work. With the accompaniment of Robert Hasleder (mandolin, dobro, weissenborn) and Andreas Obieglo (piano, accordion, jet ear, vocal) weet he by fifteen songs from its recent work to nest itself. "live" incorporated in the Lab in Stuttgart and in the Licca lounge in country mount old work from "hobo exchanges Dream" with new "The Price or Sin". It are natural Rill's strong numbers which last. There is much appreciation for the fans, which is spoiled with this expenditure.

Like 2004’s „The Hobo Companion“, last year’s „Live“ CD is only available through Rill’s website and at his shows – at a very attractive price. Listening to this album immediately conveys what a joy it must be to see Rill live in concert. The 15 songs recorded at the Lab in Stuttgart and the Licca Lounge are mostly drawn from „Hobo Dream“ and „The Price Of Sin but also include some older numbers, covers, and a couple songs were unreleased at the time and saw the light of day on „The Things That Count“. Rill is expertly accompanied by Robert Hasleder (mandolin, dobro, Weissenborn lap slide) and Andreas Obieglo (piano, accordion, guitar, vocal). Naturally, Rill’s great songs hold up in these stripped-down arrangements. The album shows much appreciation for his fans who are spoiled by this release.

CD review

„The Things that Count“ reacquaints us with Markus Rill. Over the last ten years the man with the sandpaper voice has proven himself to be a very convincing songwriter and has released a slew of albums way better than his competitors’. For the impatient fans: The album is business as usual. In other words: Run to the record store!
Rill is often described as „Europe’s premier Americana artist“ or an „artist’s artist“ thanks to the astonishing high number and high caliber of artists he counts among his supporters. Taking his productivity (eight albums since 1997) and the quality of his work into account, it seems entirely incomprehensible that Rill has not yet achieved a higher level of popularity that would assure him sold-out concerts halls. “The Things That Count” may not change this because it’s not an album that relies on gimmickry. Instead it’s an album made skillfully and thoughtfully and thus it’s obligatory listening for any aspiring songwriter
Because of a family matter trusted producer George Bradfute dropped out on short notice and left Markus with little time to hire a replacement which he found in Richard McLaurin (of Farmer Not So John). No need to worry, though, the results speak for themselves. McLaurin – who was unknown to me so far – succeeded in creating a musical framework that leaves a lot of space for Rill’s songs & lyrics.
The album sounds a lot more experimental, atmospheric and electrified than it acoustic predecessor “The Price Of Sin”. The sound of “The Things That Count” is a little richer than Rill’s previous outings – yet far from cluttered. Instead of the typical acoustic sound we know from Rill’s previous albums this time around we hear tasty and restrained accompaniment from Dave Jacques (upright bass), Bryan Owings (drums), Joe McMahan (guitar), Jen Gunderman (piano, organ, accordion) and producer McLaurin who contributed guitar, mandolin, pedal and lap steel. And Mack Starks, Dave Coleman, and Claire Small provide backing vocals.
The album’s opener “Straighter Road” is already a winner with its fine combination of acoustic and electric guitars, subtle harmonies and a slowly unfolding melody. “Unlike You” shines with thoughtful melancholy – this track was previewed on the live album. This is also true of “Sarah Stein”, a haunting ballad about a ballerina from Vienna who escaped the Nazis to live in the US. Both songs are presented here in more orchestrated versions than on the live record.
There’s more quiet moments on the brilliant title track, “I’ll Wait For You”, and “Just Like It Never Did Exist” which can easily be added to the rather extensive list of beautiful, fragile ballads the man has written – they offer consistently sober, frequently poetic, high-quality lyrics about real-life topics – “The Things that Count” as it were. The rock’n’roll co-efficient is significantly higher on songs like “Scene Of The Crime”, “Faith Is Hard”, “Gotta Keep My Hands Off”, or “Dimestore Paperback Memory” which features some beautiful organ playing from Jen Gunderman (Last Train Home).
Rill is a dignified songwriter reminding connoisseurs of song that the craft is certainly alive and kicking. In his lyrics Rill appears at times to be a hopeless romantic but he can also be a harsh critic of our times. “The Things That Count” combines profound lyrics about realities of life with a more textured sound – certainly an album that will last and satisfy Rill’s faithful fans. The album offers everything you can ask for from a singer-songwriter record. A beautiful album that moves the listener and makes him think. And that’s indeed high praise for Markus Rill.