Native Texan, Luke Wade, brings us new music to begin 2017. Wade and his band, Luke Wade and No Civilians, prosper the momentum gained from Wade starring on season seven of the reality singing show, The Voice. After finishing as a finalist in the top eight of the show, Wade began touring on a tangent appearing in the United Kingdom and touring the all across the American map.

Coming from Dublin, Texas, growing up with artistry riddled within his household, Wade started a hobby that turned into his career. Luke Wade and No Civilians became much more than simply a small jam band that few knew of and played on Saturday nights at the Woodshed. Through Luke Wade’s promotion through the voice, they’ve evolved into another band almost. Before, when Wade and his band weren’t well known locally even, they produced two records that were calm and meaningful. The first one, Tomorrow’s Ghost, displayed a serene sound with incredible lyrics full of emotion. His sophomore album, The River, exhibited a more ‘rock and roll’ Luke Wade with a similar easygoing attitude. And now, we have been brought, Only Ghost.  

Wade’s third record, Only Ghost, metamorphosed into another musical animal. Wade did not follow the pattern that his last two records exhibited. Instead, the band ditched the acoustic guitar in most songs, replaced it with a piano, and employed a more ‘pop-like’ sound into the tracks. The more quiet songs consisted of more intimacy and legitimateness, while the considered hits present another side of Luke Wade that we haven’t seen before. And personally, I think he’s abandoning what made him an underground treasure in the first place.  

Wade’s music isn’t bad, but it’s not my cup of tea, so to speak. He’s writing and releasing music that sounds like radio hits, which isn’t bad for him (because he could use the publicity), but he isn’t sticking to his originality. With that being said, it’s potentially time for him to take off in another direction after nearly a decade of music that left him stagnant on the music scene. The pop scene always changes and I never thought Luke Wade would ever want to be in that, because if he made it on the charts I think he would stay amongst the glittering realm of compromised individuality. With a such unique sound and story, Wade provides us with great talent, but with his new direction we’ll see how he thrives in another genre.