I spend a lot of time 
sitting by the ocean and attempting to dissolve all my fears in the saltwater - so 
of course, a song called “Water” would be the first thing I noticed.

The first few lines sounded like they could, in fact, become a new addition to my 
walking-in-the sand repertoire. Then the 
song crashed, like the waves over my feet, beyond easy listening into energetic, 
eclectic, guitar-filled funk and rock.  I decided then and there that Wes McDonald 
was the male Mazzy Star.

But then, as is my habit, I changed my mind - I was pleased to figure out that he 
sounds like a bona fide Southern rocker, a cross between Neil Young, The Black Crowes,
 and the Allman Brothers, all with an overlay of AC/DC.  Southern rock (and even my new 
favorite genre, country music) is my lifelong obsession because it drips with emotion 
and passion - you can feel it coming off and out of every single line.  The lyrics 
always tell a vibrant story that everyone can relate to, which is the most important 
thing to me - I am always looking for a way to find my life in music.  Even though I 
don’t know from where Wes McDonald hails (and 
I am not certain he was purposefully aiming for a 
place in the legacy of Southern rock), he touches me in the same way that my favorite
 musicians in the genre do.

I sit at the beach and try to “find myself” and some meaning in my life, and get rid 
of my frustration about the fact that I don’t know which road to take or where to take
 it to.  Most importantly, I am finally figuring out that you can’t be everything to 
everyone, and I am sure Wes McDonald understands that.  But he seemed to speak 
directly to me when he says in track 10, “It’s in the ocean/ a whole lotta soul there.”  
So I guess I am in the right place.
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