“Are, as you come,” Noah Solt croons, launching listeners into his world of melody and open ocean. This is how he begins the first track “Spheres” on his debut album Big Water, which became available last month. His sounds have been in our rotation this summer, in an innovative rollout. Each piece of the project was released as a single, component that built into a melodic and transcendent sum bigger than their parts.
Despite every track standing as its own piece of the puzzle, painting a picture of his experiences as a professional sailor in 2020, Big Water finds unity in its message – “ finding empowerment to face the challenging unknowns in life, as well as connection in the vast spaces of such unknowns.” There is a versatility to his sound, which can also be a nod to the unpredictability of the sea.
Tracks like “After All” lean more to acoustic pop, while he explores Americana grooves on “The Fold” and lyrical folk in “Ever Been.” The atmospheric “Dawn” blends perfectly into the final title track, which Solt describes as his, “ attempt at recapturing the feeling of being out in the middle of an ocean.”
Big Water was recorded by Grammy recognized producer Starita in Muscle Shoals, Alabama. FAME Studios’ lent their in-house band The Slow Burners to round out the album, developing a full and rich sound unique to Solt.