Andrew Joslyn: Awake at the Bottom of the Ocean [Album]

It seems almost surreal to think that I may have stumbled upon what could already be in line to be the finest album of 2017, considering the fact that the year has only just begun. Of course there is plenty of year left to check out, but at the very least I have found the work that will act as the standard in which every other artist will have to meet and/or exceed in order to be considered great. And with the career that Andrew Joslyn has already had thus far, it really shouldn’t be a surprised that his debut solo album Awake at the Bottom of the Ocean, is a brilliant ride through the world of classical music blending ever so manically into the world of hip hop and R&B. To keep it simple: This is an album that only takes the positive elements of modern music and ignores the junk food for the ears that we have been fed over the last couple of decades. Personally, this is the type of album I have been waiting to hear for such a long time.

Joslyn has already secured his title as one of the finest musical composer of the modern time. But now he has boosted himself to an even higher level with his own album, which features some of the best voices in the game belting out lyrics over his beautiful instrumentals. He recruited such talented folks like Will Jordan, Shelby Earl, Billy McCarthy, Adra Boo, and more to act as just another crucial instrument in the sound that Joslyn needed to display, and does it so damn well with Awake at the Bottom of the Ocean. And even when lyrical element isn’t entirely necessary, it still plays out beautifully. This album is more than a collection of songs, it is a full bodied experience. And it really needs to be listened to as such.

It seems almost unfathomable to me that Andrew Joslyn wouldn’t break out in 2017 as one of the greatest acts I have heard from in a very long time. I’ve loved his previous work with the likes of his fellow Seattle native & hip hop sensation Macklemore, but Awake at the Bottom of the Ocean simply smashes his previous efforts, and brilliantly portrays how evolving and brilliant this man is in the world of music. He’s the Frederico Felini of modern classical music, arguably one of the best in the game, and deserves to be treated as such.

So please people, do yourself a huge favor, do yourself a favor and be sure to add Awake at the Bottom of the Ocean to your 2017 playlist when it is released, February 10th, 2017, wherever you buy music from these days. Check out more details at andrewjoslynmusic.com.

Again, I’m hesitant to call this album the best of 2017, but I will say that it is going to take a hell of a lot to beat it.