HEATHER WATERS: Shadow of You

Heather Waters

Shadow of You

© 2004 redd fogg records (641444953820)

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Melancholy alt-country traditionalist. Guest performances by Gillian Welch and Rami Jaffee.

tracks

1 Brown Jacket
2 Shadow of You
3 Turn
4 Josephine
5 You Just Don't Love Me
6 Hush
7 Alone in Tennessee
8 Apalachicola
9 Comin' Home
10 A River I Can't Cross

notes

Following the slow-burn success of her eponymous debut EP - a casually distributed affair that nonetheless managed to find its way around the alt country underground - Heather Waters' first full-length album, shadow of you, is out in the world. Now, roots music aficionados who keep hearing the name of the genre-fusing writer/singer can at last discover for themselves what has inspired the ongoing buzz.

shadow of you (independently released on Waters' redd fogg records) fuses elements of bluegrass, stone country and the singer-songwriter genre into a brew that is at once a timeless evocation of indigenous American music and the distinctive expression of a singular artist. Bassist Sheldon Gomberg (Ryan Adams, Shivaree, Warren Zevon, Rickie Lee Jones) stepped in as producer with Eric Heywood (Son Volt, Alejandro Escovedo) and Craig Macintyre (Josh Groban) anchoring the band. A number of in-demand players also contributed including Wallflower Rami Jaffee, Don Heffington (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Tift Merritt), Tony Gilkyson (Lone Justice, X) Greg Leisz (Lucinda Williams, Brian Wilson) and David Kalish (Rickie Lee Jones). Legendary Americana artists David Rawlings and Gillian Welch also helped out by lending two songs to the mix. The band connected naturally with the earthy material and Waters' captivating voice. As Jaffee puts it, "Heather turned L.A. into Big Sky country."

Among the stunners she wraps her sultry voice around are Gillian Welch's "You Just Don't Love Me," Mark Simos' "A River I Can't Cross," and her own "Comin' Home," and "Turn," along with the opening "Brown Jacket" and "Josephine," co-written by Waters and her frequent collaborator, Robin Eaton.

From the moment she hits the first chorus of the opening "Brown Jacket," half-singing, half-sighing the words, "And there's no sleep for the wicked," with Heywood's pedal steel rising behind her like a blue moon, it's readily apparent that Waters doesn't shy away from hard truths. Her unforgettable voice seems to rise out of the American soil, melancholy yet resilient, immediate yet timeless, as she inhabits the frayed vines of the dead-end relationships so heart-wrenchingly recounted in "Turn" ("You don't turn unless you turn on me, then you turn it off"), "Hush" ("Life's a little bit sweeter without you in the way") and "Alone in Tennessee" ("You're bound to break me and my eggshell heart"). In her songs, she's Dylan's sad-eyed lady of the lowlands come to life.

Waters grew up on the outskirts of Chicago, the daughter of a steelworker and a corrections officer. Her father showed horses and played acoustic guitar but both parents always had a steady stream of Outlaw Country playing in the house. Their spitfire daughter had an epiphany during her junior year of college after a chance jam session with Buddy Guy. "After meeting Buddy, I thought...hmmm, paper on Kafka or jam with Buddy Guy? Kafka lost out," she says with a laugh. "I quit school right after that. My parents were livid."

Waters said goodbye to the City of Big Shoulders and set out for Boston, where she cut her teeth opening for such esteemed artists as Queen Ida, Toni Lynn Washington, Kelly Willis, Bruce Robison, Tim O'Brien, and Darrell Scott. Her seamless blend of blues, bluegrass and traditional country caught the attention of veteran Bonnie Raitt bassist, Hutch Hutchinson, who went on to produce Water's debut EP.

After touring all over the East Coast, Waters packed her bags and headed south. She landed in Nashville, where she found a champion in Delbert McClinton, who tapped her to sing back-up on Room to Breathe, his Grammy-nominated album from 2002. The Room to Breathe sessions found Waters working alongside longtime-hero, Emmylou Harris, as well as Guy Clark, Steve Earle, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, Rodney Crowell, and Butch Hancock. McClinton, however, was not alone in his affinity for the songbird: Anders Osborne, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings also started calling her for session work.

Waters left the south for Los Angeles in 2003 and in no time, picked up where she'd left off in the Volunteer state. After meeting Gomberg and discovering a shared a love of vintage gear and similar production values, the duo called on Macintyre and Heywood to round out the band. They began playing out and cutting the tracks that would form the backbone of shadow of you.

shadow of you is awash in melancholy and Waters admits an undeniable kinship with high and lonesome songs, an assertion revealed not only in her writing but also in the outside material she's drawn to. "Townes van Zandt has been credited with saying, 'there are two kinds of songs: blues and zippity do dah.' I definitely don't do zippity do dah." Waters punctuates her words with a sprightly laugh, as she's quickly finding out that there's much to be said for coming out of the shadows and into the light.

reviews

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  • Extraordinary recording
    author: Sandy Cash

    I saw Heather Waters perform live, and was stunned by how perfectly she wraps her voice around this kind of music. I bought "Shadow of You" and was not disappointed... she's one of the only singers I know of who is both terrific in concert and ALSO has great production sense! This CD is a gem that draws me to listen to Heather's distinctive sound again and again. You go, girl!

  • This is a breakout album for an extremely talented singer/songwriter!
    author: Craig

    I heard the song "Alone in Tennessee" and I was hooked. Just the right combination of originals and covers and the choice of covers couldn't have been better, particularly Gillian Welch's "You just don't love me". Exquisite! A Breakout album for Heather Waters. We want more.

  • I love this artist!
    author: Jan

    This is the best CD I have ever heard. It's melancholy, lonesome and she has a beautiful rich voice. I have listened to this over and over. I am so glad I found her music and I hope she puts out another CD very SOON!

  • Listen and be moved. Deeply moved........
    author: Jack Boldoot

    Heather landed safely in Amsterdam and she lived up to all possible expectations and then some..... Being a musician of considerable experience myself, I'm not easy to please. Shadow of You, however, has that rare quality that it thoroughly and immediately grabs your very soul, not letting you off the hook even for a second. Be prepared to be left stunned and helpless (but in utter bliss), every time you press play. And folks, it doesn't wear off, not even after hearing it 50 times....... Thank you Heather.

  • What a voice !
    author: Paul Gately

    Stumbled upon this album by mistake at an Indie site. Boy Am I glad I did.I've spread the word. Can't wait till you come to Boston

  • Best album that no one has ever heard
    author: timberwoof

    Superb effort... not many cds merit the repeat function on my cd player..... this one does... nuff said!

  • Loved it, I hope there are many more.
    author: James

    I loved the selections. If there were grooves on the CD I would of worn out "Turn". You now have a 50 something fan, who is looking forward to more great music. Thanks

  • Wonderful CD
    author: Heather

    I am not a music guru or anything, but I really have enjoyed this CD a lot, and I think it would make a great gift for anyone who likes the country/folk/alt style, she has a very beautiful voice.

  • author: pino italy

    Heater Waters has talent,and it demonstrates with Shadows of You.In this disc to it sound with best musicians of the californian area and Gilliam Welch in two songs,that it offers a touch traditional to the two.Heater from an exceptional test.For its songs uses tenuous colors and the results is great.All the songs are beatiful but Josephine is the song of the disc,i love this song.BRAVA BRAVA five stars

  • een verrassend debuut
    author: peer bataille

    Een verrassend debuut voor de liefhebbers van bijvoorbeeld Lucinda Williams en vooral Gillian Welch. Folk, country, bluegrass; gezongen met een fluwelen en soms prettig nonchalante stem.

  • A great new singer-songwriter!
    author: Chuck Nikles

    Based on "Shadow of You," I think Heater Waters has the potential to be one of the best alt-country singer-songwriters out there. Her voice is at once contemporary and reminiscent of the early days of country music. The production and delivery of the songs combine for a haunting, atmospheric quality that really lingers in one's memory (and emotions). While I would like to see more complex song structures (e.g., more verses and fewer repeated refrains), the talent on display is unmistakable.

  • I Love This CD!
    author: Erin Matthiessen

    What a surprise this CD is! Read a short review in my local paper (The Oregonian), listened to a few samples, and was hooked. Love the warm insinuating quality of her voice, love the song choices, love the sound, like The Eagles produced by Daniel Lanois after staying up all night in the desert (?!?). "Turn" would make a great single. Heather Waters is a fully-formed performing artist, with a distinctive sound and something to say. Buy this CD.

  • Great CD from a new singer/songwriter
    author: Eric Wenink

    It does not happen too often that ALL songs on a CD from a debuting singer/songwriter are excellent, which is the case with Heather Waters. From the openingtrack Brown Jacket until the last Heather holds your attention. My personal favorites are Shadow of you and Apalachicola. I am already looking forward to hear more from this girl who could become very big ! .

  • Superb 'alt. country'
    author: Ed Goodstein

    Waters has a gripping smoky alto voice (with a somewhat higher range at times), and a marvelous songwriting ability too. These are brooding, gripping and complex songs (mainly by her, but also two by Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, & one by Blood Oranges' Cheri Knight). She has a distinctive style and sound, though sort of a cross between Sammi Smith, Gillian Welch, Lori McKenna,Tift Merritt, & Emmylou, with a dose of blues a la Lucinda & Delbert McClinton too. I love this album!

  • author: Lars G Lindberg - MCWC Radio - Mora Sweden

    With a sensitivity so smooth and tender Heather gives a new dimension to music. After a hard day at work this is the kind of blend you lay down and relax with. Close your eyes and follow this brilliant songbird out in the softest of music. Ecxellent !

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