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JFH Indie Review

JFH Indie Music Spotlight Review

Michael Hughes Watson
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Michael Hughes Watson
Feeling

Street Date: April 9, 2021
Style: Acoustic Pop / Worship



Indie pop singer-songwriter Michael Hughes Watson returns with a new worship album, Feeling. A simple 10 tracks and roughly 33 minutes in run time, this studio-produced record stands out from most others of its type. Where some worship acts try to look and sound cool, Watson pulls it off, from the artsy cover to the solid acoustic pop sound and beats. This album may not completely revolutionize the genre, but it is a worthy offering to put on your radar.

What helps is how personal the worship feels. The sparse instrumentation helps set the mood, while the simple lyrics convey an honest message. Some tracks focus solely on worship, like "Generations," which draws from an Old Testament practice of passing stories of the faith on to our children. Most of the tracks, however, deal with Watson trying to get into the right headspace for praising God. "Closer Than a Brother" finds him overwhelmed but taking comfort in the Lord, "Feeling like I never get a break/Wish I could just fly away/…But You are close to me." A memorable run of tracks is "Only Your Love" and "Remind Me." The former song revels in how Jesus' love pursues us and accepts us, but it practically flows into the latter track where Watson passionately cries for reminders of that love.

This plays overall toward the mood of this record, which is vulnerable worship. Watson is very clearly praising God (not much deconstruction here), but he's doing it in a way missed in much of the more popular worship music. Lyrically, these songs don't push the bounds of poetry and sometimes (especially on the title track) start to sound like everything else out there. But Watson manages to pull something off to distinguish himself, whether taking the lyric in a different direction or letting the music make a turn. Also, while this is firmly pop worship, he varies the individual tracks enough to keep things interesting.

Again, Feeling doesn't rewrite the worship genre, but it does feel fresh. The album's brevity also helps, making it more appealing to revisit. Michael Hughes Watson is incredibly talented and prolific and continues to impress with his creative output. Longtime fans should enjoy this album, while newcomers should be easily won over.

- Review date: 4/15/21, written by John Underdown of Jesusfreakhideout.com



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. Record Label: None
. Album length: 10 tracks: 33 minutes
. Street Date: April 9, 2021
. Buy It: iTunes
. Buy It: Amazon Music

  1. Generation (3:21)
  2. Feeling (3:18)
  3. Falls into Place (3:08)
  4. Closer Than a Brother (3:18)
  5. Woods (4:04)
  6. Only Your Love (2:50)
  7. Remind Me (2:36)
  8. If Nothing Else (3:17)
  9. Purify My Heart 2 (3:54)
  10. Lift You Up (3:00)

 

 

 

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This Friday, October 17, 2025
ALBUMS
ANTHNY DIARY ENTRY 1 [Provident]
AOH Music BEHOLD (Acoustic Live), Vol. 1 (independent)
Blanca Full Bloom [Curb]
Chris Blue Every Day Is Christmas [Gaither]
Geoff Moore and The Distance Foundations (Re-Release) [Girder]
Geoff Moore and The Distance A Place To Stand (Re-Release) [Girder]
Vince Gill 50 Years From Home: I Gave You Everything I Had - EP [UMG]
Nate Parrish Make Me A Mountain (independent)
Psallos The New and Better Way: Hymns of Hebrews (independent)
Anne Wilson Stars [Capitol CMG]
Megan Woods The Truth EP [Fair Trade]

SINGLES
Elevation Worship Jesus Be The Name - Single [Provident]
F'rael God's Wheel (ft. TRYBISHOP) - Single [Syntax]
Brandon Lake When A Cowboy Prays (Amazon Music Songline) - Single [Provident]
LEON Undefeated - Single [El Rescate Music]
No Vain Glory UNLEADED - Single [Syntax]
Park 7 The Hope Is On The Way - Single (independent)
Rave Jesus & Gracie Binion Need Your Love - Single [Provident]
REFVGE, Cyfë II & WAY? U P W A R D S ft. Bianca Silver & Josh LeCroy - Single [Syntax]
Rhymes In Harmony & MAYIA My Sister - Single [Syntax]
Rock City Worship Gravestone - Single [Capitol CMG]
Anton Scholl Born To Love You - Single [Near Kingdom]
Nathan Sheridan Don't Lose Hope - Single [WieRok]
SNT. VINCENT Feast of the Saints - Single [Syntax]
Vertical Kings Faith In Stereo - Single [Covenant]
Vic Lucas, Essence Natay & Ashleey Barnes Let it Rain - Single [Syntax]
Zane Vickery All Things New - Single (independent)
Aaron Williams Abide (feat. CAIN) - Single [Integrity]

DVD
Chris Blue Every Day Is Christmas DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, October 24, 2025
ALBUMS
John Allan untitled EP [Centricity]
Dan Bremnes The Villain - EP [Curb]
Clear Convictions Endure [Resuscitation]
God Behind Bars Music Live From Angola Prison Vol. 1 [Provident]
Fepeste This World Ain't Mine to Change [Velvet Blue]
gio. FINE BY ME [Capitol CMG]
Brandon Lake Amazon Music Songline [Provident]
Tyson Motsenbocker Modern Worries [Tooth & Nail]
Smalltown Poets St. Augustine (independent)
Zahriya Zachary Rediscovery [Bethel]

SINGLES
29:11 Worship, Zion Rempel You Never Fail (feat. Emily Guy) - Single [DREAM]
Joe L Barnes Grief, Joy, Gratitude - Single [Provident]
Chad Cory, Zacardi Cortez My First Love (Remix) - Single [DREAM]
Leanna Crawford Beginning Of Your Grace - Single [Provident]
darthy Juniper Tree - Single [WieRok]
Emerson Day Midnight Hour - Single [Fair Trade]
Good Weather Forecast lows2highs - Single [DREAM]
Grace + Max Rich - Single [WieRok]
Mercy Tribe Music The King is in the Room (feat. Ayiesha Woods) - Single (independent)
Mountains in the Sea You Never Fail (feat. Emily Guy) - Single [DREAM]
Seph Schlueter Already On The Way (feat. Benjamin William Hastings) - Single [Provident]
Tomb Slayer The Christmas Lamb (feat. Khristian Dentley & Sarah Whittemore) - Single [Tomb Slayer]
The Undertaking! All Smiles - Single (independent)

VINYL
Clear Convictions Endure [Resuscitation]


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