There’s something quietly powerful about Brooks John Martin’s new single “Clear Blue Waters“. It doesn’t beg for attention or push too hard. It just is, like the tide rolling in.
Brooks John Martin has always had a way of making music that feels lived-in. Songs that sound like they’ve been with you forever. This one is no different.
There is an openness to it and a sense of movement. You can feel the road stretching ahead, and you can feel the ocean right there beside you. It makes sense, then, that the video to accompany the song was filmed along the Pacific Coast Highway.
That winding stretch of California coastline where land meets sea, where the road feels endless, is the perfect companion to a song about clarity, renewal and the pull of something familiar. But with the devastation of the recent wildfires, those images carry more weight. Beauty and loss, destruction and rebirth. This is all wrapped up in the song’s quiet insistence that we keep moving forward.
Brooks doesn’t overcomplicate things. The lyrics are simple but that’s what makes them carry more emotional weight: “I come from clear, blue waters. Come back to the clear blue water with me.” There is no forced nostalgia here, no pretense.
And then there is Brooks’s voice. It’s not flashy or trying to prove something, but on the contrary is like someone who has been through enough to know what really matters. The arrangement mirrors that same restraint – lush but not overdone, layered but never heavy.
“Clear Blue Waters” is the kind of song that sticks with you and makes you want to get in the car, roll down the windows and just go.
About Brooks J Martin
Brooks J Martin is a singer-songwriter from Cedar Falls, Iowa, and is known for his introspective folk music, evocative lyricism, and lush, cinematic arrangements.
Over the years he has recorded under various monikers including Toast, The Blue Danes, and Frank Hansen. But his latest self-titled release marks a turning point – an unfiltered, deeply personal artistic statement.
Taking inspiration from legends like Woody Guthrie, Neil Young, and Leonard Cohen, Martin writes songs that favor mood over strict narrative, allowing listeners to find their own meaning within his impressionistic storytelling.
Stream Clear Blue Waters now on Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music.
Watch the video on YouTube for a stunning drive down the Pacific Coast.
Ryan Adams will release a new album next month! Ashes and Fire, which will be released through Adams’ own PAX-AM label and Sony’s Columbia Records, will be available for you eager fans to purchase on Monday 10th October. This will be the first solo album he puts out through his own company and in that spirit, it seems he chose his team to reflect that homey feeling. The album was recorded in LA at Sunset Sound in Hollywood and produced by Glyn Johns. While the producer is known for his work with the likes of The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Clash, The Who and The Rolling Stones (not too shabby), he also happens to be the father of Ethan Johns, who produced Ryan Adams’ albums Heartbreaker, Gold and 29. Other notable people who appear on the album are Norah Jones and the organist from Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers Benmont Tench. In other exciting news, a tour in preparation so stay tuned!
Modern Mystery 