Artist Info:Discography Genre(s): Singer Songwriter Album length: 13 tracks: 47 minutes Street Date: January 1, 2022
READER RATING:
(JFH Sponsor Spot)
JFH Staff's Second Opinion
In his latest album, The Devil and the Light, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Adam Watts delivers his usual brand of complex music and emotionally raw lyrics. Highlights include "A Long Time Here," "Mend" and "Been to the Valley."
"A Long Time Here" brings back the chamber music vibes of Watts's album Murder Yesterday, with plucked strings accompanying his power-house vocals. "Mend" shows off Watts's lightning-fast drum fills that harken back to Neil Peart of Rush, both because of his precision and the crisp sound of his toms. The pounding drums, as well as the persistent tick-tock during the verses, matches the urgency of the lyrics. "Been to the Valley" has a southern gospel stomp sound that will remind long-time fans of "Rescue Me" from 2004's The Noise Inside. Lyrically, this song also echoes "Rescue Me" as he sings about the "unconditional and far beyond rational grace of a Savior." He elaborates on his doubts in this song, with lines like, "I left belief, I left my knees / and I walked the edge away from holy."
The lyrics of Watts's indie releases read more like journal entries than those in his '04 BEC debut. He is honest about his disappointments, often in a psalm-like way. In "All My Friends," for example, he says, "All my friends live inside my head / There're dead… All they do is just lie to me / Nightmares whisper as I lie in bed." In the second verse, he echoes Psalm 13: "All my enemies left me for dead / I bet, none there expected my rise."
Watts's confessional style is mostly a good thing, although the opener, "Rest of Me," again rehashes the theme of his metaphorical funeral (e.g., "Murder Yesterday," "Reborn" "Get Myself Together"). He also tends to rehash musical ideas, since the album's self-titled closer sounds quite similar to "When a Heart Wakes Up." Both songs wrap up their respective albums nicely, so, who's to say this is a downside? Plus, anyone who has written songs for as long as Adam Watts, is bound to unintentionally repeat himself.
All-in-all, The Devil and the Light is another solid album from Watts. And, if you're a longtime fan and a drummer nerd like me, you won't be disappointed.
- Review date: 1/24/22, Andie Hardee of Jesusfreakhideout.com
Record Label: Broken City Artists
Album length: 13 tracks: 47 minutes
Street Date: January 1, 2022
Buy It:Apple Music Buy It:Amazon Music (MP3)
This Thursday, February 27, 2025
ALBUMS Various Artists House of David: Season One (Music inspired by the Prime Video Original Series) [Capitol CMG]
This Friday, February 28, 2025
ALBUMS Absolved The Only Constant EP (independent) The Belonging Co Eden (Live) [Capitol CMG] The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir I Will Not Be Moved: Live with the Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir [StowTown] Jon Keith & Miles Minnick West Indies EP (independent) Michael Monroe Some Things I've Been Learning About God: Disc 1 - EP [Provident] Rotzak HEADRUSH [StowTown] Sons Of Sunday I Looked Up/One More Day - EP [Elevation/Provident]
SINGLES Above the Clouds Applause - Single [Polished Arrow] Alabaster Grace I Will Trust In You - Single (independent) Anchor Hymns Oh To Be Like You (feat. Dee Wilson & Paul Baloche) - Single [Integrity] Philip Anthony Basement - Single (independent) Bloodguilt Solid Ground - Single [New Age Records] Bongo Chico When You Walked Away - Single (independent) Dan Bremnes Call Your Name - Single [Curb] CHPTRS Somewhere We Belong - Single (independent) Childlike CiCi x Tommy Royale Who is Y'all - Single [Capitol CMG] Citizens So Kind and It’s Freaking Me Out - Single (independent) Seth Davey To My God and Savior - Single (independent) Death Therapy The End Is A New Beginning - Single (independent) Disciple Sound the Alarm - Single [Tooth & Nail] Dubem Gritty - Single [Syntax] Faith Worship Arts Good 2 Me (Live) - Single [DREAM Worship] Forrest Frank NOTHING ELSE (feat.Thomas Rhett) - Single (independent) gio. x Dell Mac fine by me - Single [Capitol CMG] Benjamin William Hastings Lord I give you my heard (from the studio) - Single [Capitol CMG] The Heritage The Promise - Single [Capitol CMG] Ic3rd Stay Humble (ft. Parris Chariz) - Single [Syntax] Phil King Miscarriages - Single (independent) KingsPorch Psalm 23 - Single [BEC] Knaladeus Sufficient Grace (ft. Javy XI & Aciya Iona) - Single [Syntax] Lecrae & Lukas Agustinho Seu Poder - Single [Reach] Life.Church Worship Redemption Has Come - Single (independent) outr.cty Fight Night (ft. Parris Chariz) - Single [Syntax] PEABOD Head First (from Gabriel and the Guardians) - Single (independent) Procyse, JusJames God Is Enough - Single [Polished Arrow] Tommee Profitt Garden - Single [Capitol CMG] Red Rocks Worship So Much More - Single [Provident] Refiner Return To Dust / Not the End - Single [Rottweiler] ReFormed False Teacher - Single (independent) Jaelee Roberts He's Gone - Single [Mountain Home] Smokey Robinson Be Thankful For What You've Got / Lean On Me - Single [Gaither] Sound Chapel Praise You Still - Single [Provident] Stephen Stanley this far down (feat. Bodie) - Single [Capitol CMG] Verses Psalm 51:7-12 (feat. Free As A Bird & Gretyl Baird) - Single (independent) Windvent Haze - Single (independent) Mitch Wong Marvelous - Single [Integrated Music Rights] The Young Escape Older - Single [BEC]
Next Friday, March 7, 2025
ALBUMS bodie HAPPIER TO BE HERE [Provident] Fine China I Felt Called [Velvet Blue] HolyName Rock Against Traffic: Live in Pomona [Facedown] Tasha Layton Worship Through It - Live [BEC] Plead the Widow's Cause Silver Glass Stare (independent) TobyMac Heaven on My Mind [Capitol CMG]
SINGLES Free Worship Omnipresente Dios (feat. Mary Pagan) - Single [BEC] GLADDEN Sunshine Every Day - Single [DREAM] River Valley AGES Fire & Rain - Single [BEC] Stars Go Dim Discover God - Single [Curb] Wolves at the Gate Parasite - Single [Solid State]
Record Label: Broken City Artists
Anchor Hymns Releases New Song, "Oh, To Be Like You," feat. Paul Baloche
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Various Artists House of David: Season One (Music inspired by the Prime Video Original Series) [Capitol CMG]
