REVIEWS

70s Soft Rock Is Back – The Watters Power Couple

Husband and wife duo Daniel and Jenna Watters bring to the table a unique fusion of Americana, Soul, Rock, and Jazz in their most recent release Intuition. Released in 2021 every song of the album is composed with striking musicality. Spunky guitar lines and groovy riffs help to create an electric vibe that only prompts their listeners to think of the soul of 70s soft rock.

The Watters became an Austin-based band in 2015. “On one of our trips home to Sedona,” says Daniel, “we were convinced to take a long detour to Austin, TX, and ended up at a show at The Continental Club Gallery where we decided that night we had to move here.”

In preparation for the album’s release, the duo published several captivating videos on Youtube, slowly revealing the entirety of the album. In the videos, we hear how thrilling they sound as their guitars and voices are isolated. In a world of over-autotuned music, The Watters really show their authentic, compelling vocals, cutting through the noise and producing music that is truly genuine.

Intuition shows the band alongside some of Austin’s best musicians exemplifying the true talent and abilities that we’re already there only strengthening Daniel and Jenna’s music. Adding various instrumentals, the songs go from impressive to beyond extraordinary. Intuition was recorded as a result of winning a major grant from respected music nonprofit Blackfret. And after the album’s release, one song, “Deja Vu,” won the grand prize in the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest, while two of its additional beauties, “Let Me Know” and “Learning How To Die” seated as runners-up. Intuition was recorded live over five days at Good Danny’s Studio (Sheerwater, Wye Oak, Of Montreal) in Lockhart, TX in October 2019.

Deja Vu holds a visual for the song, displaying Jenna’s strong vocals through a constant screen showing her lips as they pipe the music and pass through the delightful musicians. The entertaining music video portrays the intricacy of their sound and shows this subtle physical humor that is the moving red lips on each gentlemen’s face.

“Have you ever seen someone and felt immediately like you know them? Felt like you’ve been somewhere you know you’ve never been? Where does that feeling come from? Are we spirits that have transcended different lifetimes, bumping into souls we’ve met in past lives? Are there alternate dimensions? Are our dreams imaginations or astral projections? I certainly don’t know, but my intuition tells me this isn’t my first go around this world and I love meeting new friends that feel like old siblings,” explained the Watters.

Austin Chronicle called The Watters’ a “triumph in chemistry…in building a tight sound that pushes the most potential out of each part.”

Daniel and Jenna explain, “’Below the heart, above the gut’ — the album Intuition focuses on using the place ‘above the gut, below the heart’ we call intuition to guide us. In 2018, I got a massage in Sedona, AZ from a family friend who is also a self-proclaimed ‘Clairvoyant.’ During the session, she had an epiphany and told me I had to write a song called ‘below the heart, above the gut.’ While I was unsure how I would possibly write a song with that in it, I decided to give it a whirl and it turned out to be the titled track of the whole album.”

The single thing that is better than Jenna’s bold vocals, and Daniel’s soft and groovy guitar riffs is simply the lyrics, and how beautifully they are written. The lyrics possess a poetic feel either feeling bright and upbeat or somber and warm.

We can’t wait to see what else comes from this power couple, and we hope to hear something new soon.