Americana singer-songwriter Shelly Waters is set to release her new, self-titled album on July 28, 2017. Evidence of Waters\u2019 jambalaya-like recipe of sonic spices \u2013 and then some – are found within each of the dozen tasty tracks on Shelly Waters, which was recorded in Nashville with renowned producer and multi-instrumentalist Josh Kaler. \u201cI feel like this record is the true representation of what I feel when I play the music that I love. This is Shelly. This is me. This is a re- flection, and this is a representation of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waters\u2019 musical roots run as deep and wide as the mighty Mississippi River that snakes through her home state of Louisiana. Her sound is the epitome of the holy tonal trinity of blues, country, and rock. \u201cI want my music to represent all of those genres \u2013 because that\u2019s what I love best \u2013 and I love blending those sounds together,\u201d Waters affirms. \u201cGrowing up in South Louisiana I listened to a lot of swamp pop, old R&B, and rock \u2019n\u2019 roll. Those tones and those iconic voices are what I\u2019m drawn to and that\u2019s what I feel the most comfortable singing. My music is Americana through and through.\u201d The uniqueness of Waters\u2019 powerful and haunting voice brings her music to life and her lyrics betray a life filled with twists, turns, and adventure.<\/p>\n
From the very first time the pick hits the strings on the album\u2019s opening track \u201cDrink the Water,\u201d resonances of the brilliant Etta James\u2019 masterwork \u201cI\u2019d Rather Go Blind\u201d flood your senses. \u201cRed Hot Red\u201d burns with a current classic country vibe. With \u201cJackpot\u201d and \u201cKnew You When,\u201d the listener gets the first hint of what a Louisiana swamp would look, feel, and sound like. \u201cTime for a Change\u201d is a refreshing shift in pace that connects the musical dots back to the Bob Dylan nugget \u201cI Want You.\u201d<\/p>\n
Song sequence on an album is so often key. On Shelly Waters, \u201cLost My Way\u201d and \u201cBlood Sweat and Tears\u201d serve as the perfect opening acts for the oh-so-appropriate closing track, Waters\u2019 terrific take on Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers\u2019 \u201cLouisiana Rain.\u201d The perfect sonic nightcap to an intoxicating collection of top-shelf tracks, the imagery of where the road and rain meet the Gulf Coast waters that haunts Petty\u2019s number fits Waters\u2019 long road to making music to a tee.<\/p>\n
From intimate coffee shops to festival crowds of 10,000+, Waters\u2019 winding musical road has led her to share stages with a wide spectrum of artists as diverse as the legendary Loretta Lynn to the amazing Alynda Lee Segarra (Hurray for the Riff Raff). Waters has also shared a billing with Randall Bramblett, Curley Taylor and Zy- deco Trouble, Kim Simmonds, Savoy Brown, Kitty Wells, Mel Tillis, and a host of other well-known musicians. While Waters\u2019 unforgettable voice and unique blend of genres have captivated audiences for years, her journey began in a sleepy Louisiana town called Rayne.<\/p>\n
Shelly Pellerin Waters was born to a Cajun-French family and was raised on a farm in Rayne. When she was 10 years old, she began taking guitar lessons, and, being a quick study, at the tender age of 11, Waters joined J.B. David and the Mule Skinners, a local French Cajun band. The band played in Cajun dance halls, private events, and music festivals as far away as Nova Scotia. Touring with a band and signing autographs was quite an adventure for an 11-year-old. After a year with the Mule Skinners, Waters started her own country band, Shelly and Southern Spice. The band played locally and regionally for many years. Along the way, Waters\u2019 heartfelt rendition of Percy Sledge\u2019s \u201cWhen A Man Loves A Woman\u201d \u2013 performed in a college beauty pageant \u2013 helped land her a chance to compete for the title of Miss Louisiana America.<\/p>\n
As she entered her twenties, Waters had the stage chops of a showbiz lifer and she began getting inquiries from labels and others interested in helping her move to the next level. But this is where Waters\u2019 story runs off the smooth, flat concrete of I-10 and into the murky bayou waters. \u201cLife happened,\u201d Waters demurs. Amazingly, she says this without a trace of regret.<\/p>\n
Waters\u2019 path has led her from Louisiana to Texas to South Carolina to Maine. Along the road she experienced the ups, downs, and thrills of life. Her ventures and adventures included earning a US Coast Guard Captain\u2019s License, living for eight years on a sailboat in the South Carolina Lowcountry and sailing over 20,000 nautical
\nmiles. While Waters continued to dabble in music, it wasn\u2019t until 2013 that she found her way into songwriting. Her debut album of original music, Drive, was produced by Grammy-nominated guitar phenomena Joe Taylor and released to critical acclaim in 2014. In 2016, Charleston City Paper selected her as a “Best of Charleston” Female Vocalist Nominee.<\/p>\n
Waters plans to tour in support of her forthcoming album; tour dates will be announced soon.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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