Album Review: Lewis Watson — midnight
UK singer-songwriter Lewis Watson is leaving his acoustic roots behind on midnight, allowing rock influences to infuse his newest album. After hearing Watson live in Oxford in January 2016, I’m intrigued to see how his new album plays out. Let’s give it a listen…
1. “maybe we’re home” — 10/10
Watson opens the track on a high note, layering unique melodies and stunning harmonies over a grungy bassline. The percussion is particularly nice on this track, and really crescendos around 2:40 when the lighter accents come in. “We found the rain but if we start to peel away the gray, maybe we’re home,” Watson sings. The track comes to a climax at 3:06, and carries on beautifully to the end.
2. “little light” — 9/10
This is a beautiful track all around, but the choruses are especially stunning. The percussive hits at 1:12 and 1:20 are so lovely, and the harmonies build beautifully. The chorus then comes to a climax with unexpected quiet at 1:27, before Watson propels us back into his rich, grungy instrumentation. This track is stunning, playing with our expectations to heighten our experience. The percussive touches at 1:58–2:02 are a really nice touch, making the track sound a bit more unique and nuanced without overdoing it.
3. “deep the water” — 10/10
Watson fails to disappoint yet — “deep the water” is simply a jam. Watson again plays with our expectations, holding back on the first chorus so that when it comes around again it’s that much more satisfying. The track is simple, but the melodies are beautiful.
4. “la song” — 7/10
This track is slow and quiet, adopting a different tone from its grungy predecessors. The choruses are very cool, and Watson refreshingly refuses to adhere to the typical ‘verse, chorus, verse, chorus’ format. The unique synth riff that comes in and builds at 1:56 is a lovely accent.
5. “when the water meets the mountains” — 7/10
Following the trend set by Pitbull’s “Give Me Everything (Tonight)” and Kesha’s “Die Young,” Watson imagines it’s the end of the world and tells his love, “if it’s the end, then let’s see it out together.” Beginning with a quiet acoustic intro and closing with beautiful violins, Watson shakes it up on this longer track, even though his lyrics remain somewhat simple.
6. “hello hello” — 9/10
This track features unexpected chords, lovely lyrics, and fabulous percussion. Although Watson says “hello” over 50 times, Watson embellishes the track perfectly with beautiful harmonies and percussive accents to keep it interesting. The outro is the best on the album.
7. “forever” — 7/10
This track is a little mundane — it’s a decent listen, but it doesn’t really stand out from the herd of tracks Watson has corralled on midnight. The lyrics are a bit bland and the melodies are fine, but nothing really caught my eye on this number.
8. “run” — 6/10
This quiet, acoustic track unfortunately follows the trend set by “forever.” This track is technically fine, but still seemed a little lackluster. The piano and guitar combo was a nice touch.
9. “give me life” — 8/10
Watson escapes the rut with “give me life.” This rollicking track features warm, twangy instrumentation and the second best outro on the album. The lyrics are simple but heartfelt, and are sung over catchy melodies.
10. “slumber” ft. Lucy Rose — 7/10
This quiet, meditative track is the first and only duet on midnight. Watson and Rose sing softly together, harmonizing on lines like, “lately I’ve been laying lonely love, / longing to be dreaming of / only you who can calm the thunders.” The steady guitar picking is the perfect background for this track and proved a welcome change, but it would’ve been nice if the track grew a bit more.
11. “(midnight)” — 8/10
This slow love song features Watson over a quiet piano accompaniment. The track picks up as Watson sings “we can go on forever,” slowly crescendoing over the last three minutes of the track to end midnight.
Ultimately: 8/10
Watson’s second studio album proves an enjoyable listen, with nice lyrics and particularly nice harmonies. While some of the later tracks prove a bit bland, there are some real stunners on this album, such as “maybe we’re home” and “deep the water.” Watson has certainly expanded his sound since 2014’s the morning, and the grungier twang he has added is really working.
