CD REVIEW: Tara Watts "About Love"

Tara Watts
"About Love" (2009, Independent)
Recorded and Mixed by Eric Welton
Mastered by Dwayne Iler

To say this is one of the year's most anticipated releases is almost over-stated at this point. For years, Tara Watts has been turning heads with her songs and performances and the lack of recordings has kind of been part of the package. There were demos that would surface on her MySpace page here and there, but there didn't seem to be any visible ship on the horizon when it came to an actual full length release.

Well, all that's about to change this Thursday March 26th when Tara Watts finally unveils the fruit of her labours, with her long overdue debut album, About Love. It's being released via a live music gala at The Room (255 Ouellette Ave., above Chanoso's) that will not only see Tara playing with a full band for the first time (a band that includes her brother Brendan Watts on bass, local enigma Johnny West on piano, banjo and backing vocals and Another Saturday Knight's Chad Howson on drums), but will also showcase performances by The Locusts Have No King (another fantastic band, which Tara has recently become a part of) and an opening set by Martin Schiller aka 87 Things For The Future, whose electronic experimentation has long been admired.

The Windsor Star's Dalson Chen reviewed About Love on Monday and compared her to Sarah Harmer. While I also find this comparison somewhat true, it almost feels like a Sarah Harmer more than it actually sounds like one. It feels rustic and warm - even when she's clearly sad or wounded. When listening to the album it almost feels like she's just come in from a day in the fields, working during a rainstorm, and while she's warming up by the wood stove in the kitchen, she's just matter of factly telling you how her week went. Some things that happened were glorious, some were pretty crappy. You feel elated when she is and an uncontrollable urge to wrap an arm around her and pull the blanket on her shoulder a little snugger when the stories seem a little painful.

Tara Watts' sound has long differed from a lot of the singer/songwriters - especially the female ones - in that it's never come across as pleading. She's not pleading for men to take her seriously, she's not pleading to the women to stand and revolt, she's not pleading for world piece, she's just simply telling her stories as they are. These are her stories, her words, and she'll tell it the only way she knows how: honestly, genuinely, and articulately (even if there is a few rough edges).

Her voice is unique in that it has an almost non-sexual tone. She's definitely a woman and this is definitely a strong woman's voice, but when you listen to her songs, you're never once stricken with the notion that you're listening to a woman - unlike some female singers who seem more intensely trying to prove they're a powerful female songwriter, Tara sings like she wants to prove she's simply a powerful songwriter - the notion of having to prove her sexuality seems foreign, that her songwriting will be simply good enough. And it is. Which is a wonderful lesson many women in music should follow.

Her album is a glorious listen and it rolls like a car ride through Northern Ontario - I'll bet nationally many people will assume she's from one of the Prairie provinces or somewhere a lot more Northern than Windsor. In fact, it's almost like a Lucinda Williams record, if Williams drank a lot more Merlot than whiskey. But Watts doesn't wear her influences on her sleeve (such as Iron & Wine or Sufjan Stevens) - instead, she's carefully soaked in just enough and let it permeate into her own voice, rather than emulate or replicate.

The lead track "Overeager Heart" sounds like something Johnny Cash should have written. Perhaps not during his Sun Records days, or even his 60's era, but something he'd have done for his Rick Rubin American Recordings. From the story to the arrangement, it almost sounds like an homage to his songwriting and storytelling, but it's done in a way that never comes across as a blatant attempt to plagiarize. It's simply a story, plain and simple, and the best way to convey it is to sing it.

"Hail Outside" has been a favourite of mine for years now, since the first demo recording showed up online. The final realization is equally as haunting (perhaps more so now that an accompanying video has emerged) and it pushes the ground that singers more her ilk (like say Marianne Faithful or Nico) have walked previously. But while Faithfull's muse always seemed to be taunting her with paradise only to rip it from her track marked arms, Watts' muse seems to offer a better sunrise somewhere down the line. There's always a feeling of hope in Tara's songs, no matter how bleak the surface story seems to be.

"100 Years Old" wouldn't seem out of place on Sarah Harmer's Songs For Clem or I Am A Mountain. It's a short track, barely two minutes long, but that's the secret about songwriting. The length is irrelevant as long as the story and intention is achieved by the time it's done, whether the song is 30 seconds long or 8 minutes. A short tale of obvious lament towards an awkward ex-lover, one who isn't far from the door and who she's not sure if she wants to walk back in or not. It's done with a playful jaunt, as if she both despises the ex-lover but despises more the thought that this is something she's not yet ready to be done with.

With such an interwoven storyboard, it's tough to single out her songs individually as the best experience is simply to listen to the whole album and let its interconnectivity wash over you while you listen. But it must be said that, for me, "Camels in Canada" is the album's best offering. It could easily be Harmer or Kathleen Edwards doing a Joni Mitchell cover, but thankfully it's simply Tara Watts being herself. It's a beautiful song that I swear you can hear her smiling on. In a recent interview on CJAM 91.5 FM, Tara admitted this track was written quite recently, seemingly assembled in the studio, and perhaps its the fresh energy of tackling something so new that seems to make this track sparkle just a little more, but whatever it is, this is a perfect song for a sprint time bike ride or a hayride in the fall. It's simply timeless.

After being a solo performer for so long, Tara had to assemble a backing band for the recordings and she held back no stops in assembling a talented core of assistance from some of the local indie scene's finest players. Eric Welton not only lent his understated production, recording and mixing skills to the CD, but also lent his voice on some backing tracks. Welton has recorded some great records lately, not only his own recent efforts, but also Travis Reitsma's overlooked Bluebeard. Welton has a knack for layering and enhancing recordings with just enough flair to make the steak sizzle but without detracting from the actual "meat". Another job well done for this local producer. Dwayne Iler, more known for his own band The Original Lady Eyes, did the mastering for the album. Iler's been picking up a lot of mastering work of late and he shines once again with this offering. The music itself was done by some A-list players, including the prolific enigma known as Johnny West, who played piano, banjo and also sang back-up. The percussion and drums were laid down by Sally Zori, perhaps one of the scene's most respected percussionists.

About Love is like a collection of short stories. Individually, they are little snippets into the autobiography of Tara Watts - her shortcomings, her tragedies, her loves and her triumphs - and collectively they form a story that is bigger than the sum of the parts. It courses through the air of your room, touching each ornament on the wall, looking at every photograph you barely remember taking, dancing around the aroma of coffee in the air, and sitting down nicely right beside you, wiping at the tear you'd hadn't even noticed shedding.

CJAM 91.5 FM and WAMM Magazine presents
Tara Watts CD Release Party with special guests The Locusts Have No King and 87 Things For The Future, Thursday March 26th at The Room (255 Ouellette Ave., above Chanoso's), doors at 9pm
Live Broadcast on CJAM 91.5 FM starting at 11pm

Tara Watts on MySpace

LOOK! A TARA WATTS CONTEST!

That's right kids, another contest! In preparation for Tara Watts' highly anticipated CD release party we're doing a special contest. All you have to do is write a creative comment below about why you want to win this prize package (or why you should win) then check back on Thursday morning to see who the winner is - if it's you, you will win the following Prize Package:

* Two (2) tickets for Tara Watts' CD Release Party at The Room, Thurs. March 26th
* One (1) copy of Tara Watts' About Love CD
* One (1) copy of The Locusts Have No King The Locusts Have No King CD
* One (1) copy of David Dubois' Protected Patterns EP
* One (1) copy of Johnny West's Absence of Sway CD

NOTE: Some people have claimed they are weary of putting contact info (such as emails) on their comments - all you need is your first and last name! When I announce your name on Thursday as the winner, all you need to then do is show a piece of photo ID showing you're the name given at the door to collect your prize package! Easy enough?

CAN'T COMMENT? If you don't have a Blogger.com, Google ID, or any of the initial things asked for when leaving a comment, use one of the two options given near the bottom - "Name/URL" gives you the option of giving your name and a website option (such as a band link) or "Post Anonymous" means you have to supply even less - BUT remember to leave your first and last name in your comment so we know who are winner's names will be!