Eddie Witz and The Most High Explore Roots and Revelation in “I Am What I Am”
In music, there's an alchemy capable of transcending notes and words alone — creating a pure emotionality that sticks even after the last chord has disappeared. US act Eddie Witz and The Most High bring their EP "I Am What I Am" on folk, Americana & reggae tinged with a touch of country charm. The seven-song collection isn't simply a listening experience, rather Wilay's invitation on an odyssey of self-discovery, perseverance, and unadulterated truth.
Think of a place where music is not only heard but also experienced. Where songs are sung to reflect the stories within our lives and around us. Built around the opening track "My Island - folk version," this is our entry point into an intimate world. Eddie invites us into the lullaby's peace and comfort with his warm voice surrounded by angelic harmonies that float above gentle melodies. The words beckon us to a refuge, to holy solace: “Take you take my island / Where our hearts pound love in time. It's a peaceful beginning and starts the tone for an album that offers emotional solace.
The mood changes with "Jamaica Time" and its relaxed riffs & idiosyncratic pluckings in an 80s pop style you already knew you loved. Paired with the relaxed percussion, Eddie’s vocals ride through sounding as if these were sounds of hazy days and chilled-out times. Lyrically, they deliver a funnier flip-off to the rat race we already know is rewarding us by shriveling our insides on ten minutes' notice with only enough broken swollen words left afterward like The Cro-Mags. Elves Instead sends up palm trees “striped red,” a metaphorical act of, well yes, smelling the roses.
Next is a song, "In California," a perfect late-night track with mellow guitar riffs and reggae drumming. This song emotes the pain and missing of a love lost; it lives in chasing dreams, as well as saying goodbye. Chorus Riden on your waves Tryna find a way In California …Hits anyone who has struggled with the reality of space and desire for reunion.
The album's title track "I Am What I Am," meanwhile, is a triumphant expression of self-acceptance. By nature, Grooving out to the track you are uplifted with this most beautiful balance of light and shade. Playful melodies flirt with emotive lyrics as a freedom-filled reggae anthem is delivered in peerless style. What we heard rolling out of the speaker in a voice that was part cocky-borderline defiant, Eddie crooned back from his end sarcastically "I'm what I am and it feel like trouble!" It is also a song of acceptance – accepting one's own self in all its flawed and beautiful entirety.
“The One That Got Away” provides a different emotional experience of country and Americana. With his touching vocals, Eddie weaves a story of heartbreak—a familiar one but delivered in the most moving sense. The bare nature of the instrumentation keeps emotions raw and every syllable belies a note regret or desire that tugs at you.
A nostalgic gem paying homage to early 2000s pop, “In Too Deep” has a striking yet familiar chorus that sticks from the get-go. Solving The Problem With Heartbreak It essentially speaks to the complexities within relationships and heartache from ended love. More: A report from the scene, With lyrics like “I’m in too deep / I get no sleep / I’m way over my head without you,” it's a chilling reminder that love has a dark side.
My Island (Reggae version) closes the EP, where you will find new sounds like some electronic touches. On the more chilled side, it highlights Eddie's ability to craft engaging folk and song while on remix duties for his very own track he brings an upbeat summery reggae vibe interjecting an entirely different dimension into the original composition. Epilogue closes like the album as a whole: it paints so beautifully across an array of sounds and emotions that by its end we want more and yet still feel accomplished.
If there is ever an album best suited to navigating turbulent times, this may be it; every song could theoretically exist in a bubble — although they shine collectively as part of the whole narrative. The album spans across various genres that cater to a huge range of people, but at its core are Eddie's pure and raw vocals and genuine lyrics which makes it very intimate. In a world where we are so often forced to play out the illusion of perfection, ‘I Am What I Am’ is an anthem celebrating our imperfection reminding us that it is nobler by far to revel in authentic self-expression.
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