Watershed - Elephant In The Room, LP

The album was written, arranged and recorded during the global Covid 19 pandemic. Craig Hinds had started gathering initial ideas in early 2020. The songs developed slowly and when he was allowed to travel again, he met with his bandmates in Johannesburg to further develop the tracks in joint sessions. "There was a lot to write about as emotions were high, families and couples were separated and 'times they are/were a-changing' as the legend Bob Dylan would have put it" (CRAIG HINDS).
"Elephant In The Room" is a solid and warm album with twelve tracks that was recorded in trio formation (Craig Hinds (voc, g, p), Howie Combrink (dr, voc) and Gideon Botes (g). The latter is also responsible for production and mixing, where he was assisted by Hinds and Combrink. It contains, besides the usual excellent Craig Hinds compositions, also a stunning Watershed interpretation of the Bruce Springsteen classic "I'm On Fire". The LP contains a good mix of uptempo songs, classic Watershed ballads and mid-tempo tunes. The group's music has continued to evolve over the years, incorporating a wide variety of influences, but without straying too far from what Watershed has always been about.
Lyrically, Craig Hinds takes a journey into the unknown, questioning everything that is going on around him while trying to address the "elephant in the room." "There are just too many opinions and no one is really addressing the real situation" (CRAIG HINDS). In true Watershed songwriting tradition, the songs take on themes of everyday life, everyday worries, everyday ups and downs, and everyday love to create songs that stay with you for a long time. His biggest fear is not being able to write a hit song. "It doesn't matter how much you tour, how many fans you have or how many net followers click your page. If you don't have good songs, you're not going anywhere" (CRAIG HINDS).
But if you expect a new "Indigo Girl", you might be disappointed, because Watershed anno 2021 has become more contemporary and rocky. Stylistically Watershed have developed further, but do not deny their own special sound. Urgent, energetic and sophisticated Indie-Folk-Pop-Rock. Songs like the single release "Undone", "Map Of My Behaviour", the bonus track "Countdown" or the title track itself have terrific driving drums without losing the melodic affinity of Hinds compositions. It brings back memories of early R.E.M., Coldplay and the Crash Test Dummies. The instrumentation focus is an excellent blend of guitars, electric piano and the distinctive and naturally expressive voice of Craig Hinds.

Tracklisting:

SIDE A
01 Empty Space
02 Undone
03 Elephant In The Room
04 Try Again
05 Love song

SIDE B
01 Map Of My Behaviour
02 Wish Upon
03 African Stars
04 Stone By Stone
05 Countdown (Bonus Track)

Produktdetails:

Band: Watershed

Label: ON STAGE records

Format: LP

Katalognummer: TZ 2096

Barcode: 4260673690960