A genre-hopping riptide of an album
Kerri Watt's name and voice may sound familiar. She started off in theatre before turning to music and appearing on the BBC Radio 2 playlist for her track 'Long Way Home' and more recently on BBC 5Live. She toured extensively with headline acts and played at some of the UK's biggest festivals, before setting up camp in Texas to work on some new music.
Her long-awaited debut album 'Neptune's Daughter' is a collection of songs that is as varied and as deep as the sea itself. 'All the Worse for Me' is gutsy and raw with rock-inspired lyrics and rhythms that pull you into the riptide of the album. When you think you have her sound nailed, she suddenly opts for poppy country vibe on 'Kissing Fools'. For a second it's hard to think you are listing to the same album.
Musically 'Neptune's Daughter' continues to jumps around a host of genres, it's simply impossible to pin down, but the song-writing stands out throughout and every song stands alone. Lyrically, throughout the work, Watt keeps things sharp and sassy. As the album progresses away from the glossy, poppier surface, the darker depths begin to appear on tracks like 'Hellfire' and 'Jessie'.
Producer Machine (Fall Out Boy/ Lamb of God) may not be an obvious choice for the job, but as everyone seems to be stepping out of their comfort zone, the chameleon-like approach allows the album to be heavily song led.
Kerri Watt is a storyteller and performer who wants each song to be a journey.
Genre-hopping may not appeal to everyone, especially on a debut album. As the record was recorded back in 2018, perhaps Watt has whittled her influences down and managed to focus her sound in one direction. Or perhaps the album's coda 'I Wanna Sing For You', sums up the overall sentiment of 'Neptune's Daughter's' more accurately: Kerri Watt is a storyteller and performer who wants each song to be a journey.
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