Mark Rogers - 30 Minutes From Water Street (2024) Hi-Res

Rogers can compose songs that are far above the ordinary. He sings it like Hemingway would have written it. I would compare Mark to James Taylor's music, but Mark has a little more whiskey in his milk than Taylor. The troubadour tradition is a tapestry in Mark's hands not mere drapery.

More Spanish in structure is the colorful narrative “Prison Block 9,” which isn’t sung with tension but with a sprightly picked acoustic guitar & textured horns somewhat from that “Come A Little Bit Closer” Jay & the Americans era. But Mark Rogers handles the details quite expertly. He sings it like Hemingway would have written it.

Mark Rogers isn’t without his rockier side & displays that with the energetic “To Open Your Eyes,” which has a drum snap & a weaving lead guitar. Rogers can compose songs that are far above the ordinary which keeps the interest piqued. His voice is youthful & he can be as folky as Eric Andersen or the late David Blue. But Mark is more of a rock n’ roller than Eric or David since the guitar density here is more aligned with Jackson Browne or Joe Walsh than Eric.

There’s nothing heavy-handed in this showcase. That will be the appeal to some who like their treasures in small doses. I would compare Mark to James Taylor’s music & style, but Mark has a little more whiskey in his milk than Taylor.

A pleasant enough middle-of-the-road take is “Edelweiss,” – a flower, (not “The Sound of Music” song by Rodgers & Hammerstein). But Mark creates a pleasantly performed upbeat ballad with all the elements that made a Joni Mitchell song so intriguing. There’s nothing here that’s mediocre. The troubadour tradition is a tapestry in Mark’s hands not mere drapery.