Scottish singer-songwriter Kerri Watt must have the patience of St Andrew – three years after the recording of her debut album it is finally being released. Part of the delay was, of course, Covid-19, but there's little doubt Watt must have been chomping at the bit for the day to finally arrive. In the interim, however, perceptions of her have changed.
As a teenager, Watt was an ardent performer of Americana, residing in Nashville for a while before moving to London and then to Austin, Texas, which is where it gets intriguing.
Although clearly influenced by US songwriting notables such as Bonnie Raitt and Sheryl Crow, while in Austin she linked up with metal/rock producer Machine (aka Gene Freeman), who had previously worked with the likes of Pitchshifter and Lamb of God. The resulting cultural gear shift is nowhere near as alarming as you might think.
Songs such as Kissing Fools, Chasing Aeroplanes, Waking Up in California and Band of Gold might have been written on acoustic guitar (of which there is proof via six bonus tracks tacked on at the end of the album proper), but they fly much higher and louder thanks to the added oomph of different production techniques.
It’s a distinct change of direction for Watt – not too far from her beginnings but far enough to make things interesting for her and her increasing listenership.
