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Heather Waters

Shadow of You

Redd Frogg Records (LA)

By Zach Peterson

Great female singer-songwriters are abundant: Kasey Chambers, Lucinda Williams, Sarah Harmer, Patty Griffin, Kathleen Edwards, et cetera. Heather Waters may eventually join this, albeit incomplete, list. On her first full-length release, Waters turns in six original works and four relatively obscure covers (including two by David Rawlings and Gillian Welch, who backs Waters on guitar).

Waters' songwriting seems to be in the developmental stage, but shows enough glimmers of hope to indicate serious potential. The chorus of the opening track, "Brown Jacket," renders a harsh verdict to a lover on the losing end:

And there's no sleep for the wicked
Baby, you know, I got another man
And there's no shortage of temptations
And you callin' me out to me is more than I can stand

Some of Waters' lines are reminiscent of a slightly less brash Kathleen Edwards. Her words often indicate equal parts veracity and vulnerability. Like many of her peers and influences, Waters' songs delve into the depths of relationships: uneven and nearly always uneasy. In "Alone in Tennessee," Waters sings:

Well, I overheard you sayin' it ain't cheating
If it takes less than a tank of gas
So who am I to believe, you could be true to me?
Baby, your silver tongue works way too fast

A few choice covers help to strengthen the cohesion of the record. The title track by Cheri Knight is rendered passionately, while the two Gillian Welch covers are delivered soundly without any unnecessary mimicry. Waters emotes especially well on the title line of track five, "You just don't love me/that's all." The record concludes with a poignant arrangement of Mark Simos' "A River I Can't Cross."

Shadow of You also benefits from an all-star cast of supporting musicians. Tony Gilkyson, Rami Jaffee, Greg Leisz, Gillian Welch and David Steele make cameos. However, it's the backing of Sheldon Gomberg on bass, Josh Grange on guitar, Craig Macintyre on drums, Eric Heywood on petal steel, Don Heffington on percussion and Phil Parlapiano on Hammond M3 that shines throughout.

Heather Waters fits the saturated billing of "up-and-coming" artist. Shadow of You presents ready evidence to look forward to her sophomore effort.

www.heatherwaters.com

Contact Zach Peterson at zapper-at-rockzilla.net