David Arn embarks on a gentle journey with “Watershed”. Lyrics capture the power of reflection for the pieces move on at their own pace. Nothing rushed the details that radiate up throughout feel outright joyful. Melodically rich many layers intermingle to create a lovely stance. The intimacy of the recording revels in the smallest of gestures. Interplay amongst the band feels like a bunch of friends coming together to celebrate the wins and losses that define a person. Rhythms have an easy-going nature, with the acoustic guitar perfectly punctuating the importance of his words. Elements of the work recall a bit of Iron & Wine’s early work for there is a closeness to the entire collection.
Piano introduces the album off on an elegant note with the tasteful dream of “Blood and Bone”. Easily the highlight of the album comes from the heartfelt title track “Watershed” where his voice has a twang reminiscent of Bob Dylan’s world-weary observational stance. Nicely following this up the wry humor of “The Only Truth I Know” feels so comforting. “Thought by Now” features some wonderfully bluesy vamps that have a deliberate pace to them. “We Seemed a Good Idea” presents quite spacious sprawling geography that embraces a lazy, mellowed aspect about it. Tactile tones ripple off into the distance with the finale of “Remember the Ring” that brings it altogether.
“Watershed” revels in the exquisite details, with David Arn singing from a life lived to the absolute fullest.
