Reviews

Up to Date With Kerri Watt

January 14, 2021 Nick Cantwell Americana, kerri watt, neptunes daughter

It’s been a long wait for Glasgow-based Kerri Watt, but finally her delayed debut studio album “Neptune’s Daughter” will be released via Cooking Vinyl next Friday, 15th January having been recorded way back in 2018! Throughout a frustrating 2020 Kerri decided to release two EP’s which contained a couple of album tracks to whet fans’ appetites, indeed you may well have read more about these and the forthcoming album in our November article https://www.bellesandgals.com/2020/11/16/kerri-watt-release-album-neptunes-daughter/ . She also joined the many artists regularly live streaming while gigs have been off the agenda, which including being a featured performer on charity streams such as Save Our Scottish Venues for the Music Venue Trust and Takeover Fest for KNordoff Robbins along with her own weekly “Watt A Wonderful World” show.
Kerri kicked off 2021 by releasing the album track “Band Of Gold” as her latest single, along with its accompanying video which provides a wonderful behind -the scenes glimpse of the “Neptune’s Daughter” recording sessions in Austin showcasing the absolute blast she had working with producer Machine (aka Gene Freeman) and some of the best musicians in America. Kerri says that this catchy, country-pop song was a joy to write, ” …one of those songs that basically wrote itself. It just kind of flowed out of me in about 30 minutes and I knew it was gonna be a goodie!“.

It’s one of several solo writes from Kerri on the upcoming album (she has had a hand in writing all twelve of the tracks ) and the 6th single to be taken from the project, which I’ve had the chance to listen to in its entirety prior to release day. Fans will no doubt already be aware that Kerri’s Americana roots have been given quite a shake up, with the metal/rock influence of her producer evident throughout. When discussing the sound she was looking for with him she says they discovered they shared a lot in common when it came to bands/playlists/moods they liked, despite coming from different genres. The result is really exciting and sees Kerri stepping out of her comfort zone and challenging herself to take her sound in a different direction while still ensuring her songs’ original essence stays in tact.

Strong drum beats and screaming electric guitars are frequent features on this edgy album which is dominated by its energy, attitude and attack, the final piano-led stripped back song “I Wannna Sing For You” being the exception as of course are the six acoustic bonus tracks on the deluxe digital edition.

Kerri’s vocals are strong and impressive at all times, her range is absolutely wonderful and showcased particularly well on ” Hellfire”, one of the slower, moodier tracks …I couldn’t help but think of Kate Bush the first time I heard this, simply phenomenal. Other standout songs for me are the fun, catchy title track with its great honky tonk piano and bluesy/pop vibe, and the lighthearted country/pop ode to the sunshine state “Waking Up In California”.

Speaking about the release, Kerri says “It feels like years of work and passion are coming to fruition and I’m finally getting to share a full body of work. There’s some really fun, light tracks mixed with darker moments, and scattered throughout are a few subtle references to some of my musical heroes that I’m hoping fans will have fun picking out! After years of experimenting with different sounds and ideas, I’ve written a piece that I hope will have something for every kind of person and be the positive start we all need for 2021“. It certainly lifted my spirits, I must say!

You still have time too pre-order Neptune’s Daughter here https://kw.lnk.to/neptunesdaughterPR and can keep up to date with all Kerri’s news here WEBSITE // FACEBOOK// INSTAGRAM // TWITTER

Neptune’s Daughter tracklisting