If you want to be a successful ruler, you have to put a special focus on establishing your kinship. King Charles, otherwise known as Charles Costa, takes his pseudonym and subsequently assumed nobility to a new level of manifestation. Unlike the standard monarchy, King Charles drops his sword and raises his arms in surrender, exclaiming that the woman of his dreams has left him completely defenseless in “Gamble for a Rose.” He recognizes that his risky wager has left him exposed to serious instability, but chances have to be taken to lead future royalty to the altar.

Bringing a self-defined king down to a state of relatable commonality takes the assistance of an expert. Who better to engineer honest fidelity than Marcus Mumford, lead singer of 21st modern folk legends Mumford and Sons and producer on King Charles’ sophomore album Gamble for a Rose. There’s no doubt that Mumford put his heart and soul into his recent project, confessing on Mumford and Sons’ website that “As a piece of work to have been part of, (Gamble for a Rose) is one of the things I am most proud of in my life.” His production skills show their value early and often as “Gamble For A Rose” takes on a rare state of self-awareness in an attempt to challenge his own vulnerability. Its stripped instrumental style has a naked tenderness that gives King Charles’ words a more genuine believability. As long as everyone ignores his utterly totalitarian hairstyle, King Charles’ honest lyricism almost makes listeners forget his assumed regal status.