Watashi Wa

The Love of Life (2003)

Megan

As far as Christian rock goes, Watashi Wa is heads and tails above Creed, but nowhere near the talent of Duvall. The opening track on their Tooth & Nail debut, "The Love of Life" lays all their feelings on the line. Spirituality isn't the only topic they tackle though. There are also the typical songs about girls in the mix as well.

Other than that, Watashi Wa is a decent band for the genre. It's spiritual pop rock that is extremely catchy. The harmonies are smooth, and lead vocalist Seth Roberts has a sweet voice that's easy to understand. The only issue I had was with the song "Smoke Signals" if I heard Roberts sing the word "Free" again, I was going to throw the CD out my window.

Upbeat songs such as "Joanna" really make the album. It's a real sing-a-long with lines like "I better dance right, try not to lose it, alright try not to lose it again… and if I can't dance, Joanna would you understand?" The catchy nature of that song reminds me of The Ataris. The album ends with a piano driven number that closes out the CD really well.

The album art for this disc really captures the nature of the music. It's pretty, but not overly attention-grabbing. The lyric booklet is a bit difficult to read, just because the writing is so tiny.

Overall, the album is worth looking into if you like Christian pop-rock. Even as a non-religious person, I was able to enjoy this album. It wasn't anything spectacular, but Watashi Wa presented heartfelt lyrics in a packaging that's easy to digest. Sonically, it didn't seem like the structure was difficult, but sometimes music is just there to be simple. It allowed the lyrics to take the front seat and drive the sound. Nice, but nowhere near essential.