MARLON JAMES

Songwriter James confesses that at times he feels like a man out of time, and that he occasionally feels he should have been born in the twenties or thirties, citing Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald and Tony Bennett as major influences.

But don't toss him into the nostalgia bin just yet -- despite his avowed yearning for the "good old days" his music suggests he's kept his ears wide open. Listen close, and you can also hear traces of acts as diverse as Herbie Hancock, John Mayer and the Dave Matthews Band, and that rocker's swagger suggests that Marlon's not altogether unfamilar with the work of Messieurs Jagger and Richards.

In fact, his soaring, jazzy treatment of Tom Petty's Free Fallin' pretty much shows just how eclectic Marlon and his band are.

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Kevin's Picks to Click: "Free Fallin'"