Morning

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