Marco DeLiso’s Album ‘Ambassador of Good Intentions’ is a Grateful Submission to the Tangled Tubes

Marco DeLiso’s music is somewhat of an anomaly – unique to him and entirely rooted in the shared cultural experiences of his generation. The 11 tracks that make up the Ambassador of Good Intentions span a wide range of styles and sentiments, from dreaming big to love and friendship and identity and attention struggles.

Over the years, DeLiso has slowly worked out a process of self-recording to destress the experience, promote experimentation, and avoid the costs of conventional recording studios. As a result, Ambassador of Good Intentions was a collaborative effort of love that was slowly assembled within small windows over a long period of time. For this album, he made it a point to collaborate with others, including Adam Soucy on drums, Chris Bavaro for lead guitar, Colin Gordon on saxophone, and Martin Merenyi for mixing and mastering. These external touches are like finding the music between the collaborators.

Throughout the album, DeLiso’s love of vocal harmony shines through – a choir boy until the end. “Frozen Rind,” the album’s precursor single, is a perfect encapsulation of what the record entails with its layered production elements and unique blend of electronic and traditional instrumentation. In the chorus, he sings reflectively, “What if I fall apart, deep inside, without a cause?” That question seems to be the basis for much of the album’s searching, as DeLiso ruminates over the highs and lows of existence.

The album’s intro track, “Over Myself,” sets the tone for the record’s introspectiveness as he admits being “tired of [his] own moves.” Despite that, the next track is a lighthearted love song called “BBGAW,” or as he sings, “baby’s got away.” Including everything from saxophone (“BBGAW”), violin (“Up To Here”), rapping (“Fly”), a cover of the Red Hot Chili Peppers (“Snow”) to a sample of his friends on a bachelor trip (“Love My Bros”), anything is fair game for DeLiso. With tracks like “Jobin,” showcasing DeLiso’s storytelling abilities or “Slowdown,” where his vocals float dreamily atop mellow production, Ambassador of Good Intentions is a well-rounded and noteworthy representation of DeLiso’s talents. Overall, DeLiso just considers it a privilege to have the conditions in his life that allow for creative pursuits and self-expression.

‘Ambassador of Good Intentions’ by Marco DeLiso