Here’s a guy that’s a throwback to the days of singer/songwriter/producers like Todd Rundgren and Roy Wood who did every part of a record to make it a true personal project. Hawaiian based Marco Santiago releases two impressive discs, the only difference between the two is possibly the sound quality on Surrender being a tad more bright, but the songwriting for both vocal and instrumental tracks is impressive on all fronts.
Santiago has a voice with a rough and ready delivery, not dissimilar to a Christopher Cross, while the tunes themselves range from hip little rockers like “ Stay” and “Sailing” to flamenco flavored material such as “I Only Want to Dance With You.” Sizzling percussive grooves permeate much of the material such as “Slow Down.” Each disc has a handful of instrumentals spaced around, but they beg to have their own album to enjoy in full. Clean and fluid guitar lines glide over the rhythm on “Pacific Highway” and the spacey “Sparkles Off the Wheel”while “Diddy’s Groove” is foundationed by a synth underpinning. If you were weaned on the Doobie Brothers or early Steely Dan, you’ll want to try this guy out.
Pacific Pop Productions