A musician who built up his following on social media,
Lewis Watson is also part of a wave of fresh-faced British singer/songwriters which includes
Ed Sheeran and
Jake Bugg.
Watson stands out from the pack largely due to his hefty number of Twitter followers and his fondness for polish. Often on his 2014 debut,
The Morning -- released after a year-plus of EPs -- he comes across like an unwitting blend of
David Gray and
Chris Martin, less a troubadour than a sensitive singer of love songs. This sentimentality separates him from the
Dylanesque aspirations of
Bugg and the sing-song hip-hop of
Sheeran, but it also means
Watson doesn't have a focal point; he likes to luxuriate in the soft focus of plucked acoustic guitars and heavy harmonies, the kind that echo and overwhelm the melody. Such overwhelming softness means
The Morning works best as mood music, setting the tone for either a lazy day in bed or a productive day at work, or any number of activities that take place during the hours of breaking dawn. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine