“Water to Wine” by Joe Wilkinson is incredibly refreshing. Every aspect is drenched in folksy, organic goodness. Not to mention, Joe’s voice will give you the chills.
The song opens immediately with the lyrics. Joe sings, “Time’s not made for wasting,” as a modest acoustic guitar riff plucks away in the background. His voice is one of those that needs little accompaniment to be effective. It’s rustic, warm, and intimate. A few snaps and a kick drum propel the song into a driving chorus. The acoustic strums on each beat, accompanied by the bass and kick. The melody glides like butter across the staccato, grooving accompaniment. The effect of this chorus is rather entrancing–it’s so easy to internalize the beat and sing along to the delightful background vocals.
The second half of the song is where the backing vocals really take center stage. In the second verse, they swell alongside the lead line, solidifying the contour introduced in the first verse. The chorus bursts with calls and responses, layered doubling, and dramatic “oo’s” and “ah’s.” As Joe chimes the final, “Let’s watch the water turn to wine,” the instrumentation reverberates softly until it finally fades.
“Water to Wine” is a beautifully wholesome, warm, genuine song. Its simplicity is its greatest strength. In an industry full of constant experimentation, sometimes it’s nice to hear something classic and familiar. A well-written song often doesn’t need a lot of bells and whistles to convey its message. Joe Wilkinson certainly knows how to pull at our heartstrings using only his voice and words.
Written by Alyce Lindberg
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