Lee DeWyze

What Once Was by Lee DeWyze (WuLi Records)

Prior to appearing on and winning Season 9 of American Idol, aspiring singer / songwriter Lee DeWyze recorded a wealth of material for independent label WuLi Records. Featuring production work by WuLi co-owners Ryan McGuire and Louis Svitek (famed guitarist for Ministry and M.O.D.), What Once Was serves as the final release in a trilogy of early DeWyze recordings the label has released.

The most versatile and unpredictable of the three albums, What Once Was showcases a variety of musical genres, and features songs from the DeWyze repertoire ranging from 2006 – 2010. Not nearly as polished and refined as his major label debut Live It Up, DeWyze fans are nevertheless in for a real treat when encountering the timeless musical gems to be found on What Once Was.

The disc opens up with the sweetly wistful sounds of Snaps, a carefree, sentimental track that should really enrapture the DeWyze fan base. Never There is up next, featuring a classic DeWyze vocal performance filled with passion and conviction. Maybe I Might is playful and infectious, another unearthed treasure that has hit single potential.

Fallen is an effective acoustic track with dazzling vocals and a swirling chorus that is wonderfully heartfelt. DeWyze then rocks it out with Princess Reprise, featuring powerful vocals and heavier than usual guitars at work. When She Dances is exotic with a cunning sense of adventure and intrigue.

Green With Me is a glorious anthem showing yet another side of DeWyze’s singing and songwriting talents – sounding a lot like a 60’s revival tune come to ultra vivid life. Worth Waiting presents a perfect combination of vocals and instruments meshing together to create a genuine, organic work of artistry. And then Bridge Burns closes the album sending the listener into a state of bliss with its clever storytelling and sweeping Americana musical soundscapes.

At present, DeWyze is without a record label, due to being released from his RCA recording contract and the WuLi arangement being just for the pre-Idol material. In this day and age, an artist can pretty much thrive and prosper on their own with the Internet and fans at their fingertips, so it will be exciting to see what the future has in store for the supremely talented and resourceful Lee DeWyze. In the meantime, check into What Once Was as well as the other releases from the WuLi vaults (So I’m Told and Slumberland) and discover the grand and humble beginnings of a truly impassioned artist.

(Review by Kenneth Morton)

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