Shawn Waters

The songs could be viewed as uplifting if you happen to be a manically depressed Vicodin addict. Equally so the songs could be viewed as dark and beautiful as you picture yourself dancing with that hot Goth chick that you've been searching for something to bond with over. Like a night filled with red wine and sultry dancing in the summer as one big chorus drops after another like shooting stars from the stage, Shawn Waters & Groupthink could be the next band to storm the scene - Motif Magazine

Bacchanalian shaman / song-man Shawn Waters' vocal timbre and delivery certainly evoke memories of the late, great Thin Lizzy front-man, and so does his penchant for mayhem and disorder……Though Groupthink bash their way through ten tracks as if their sordid lives depended on it, Roz Raskin's sweet harmonies and vintage organ riffs afford the record passion aplenty. If sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll is your idea of a good time - look no further than Songs For You. - Amplifier Magazine

Bacchanalian shaman / song-man Shawn Waters' vocal timbre and delivery certainly evoke memories of the late, great Thin Lizzy front-man, and so does his penchant for mayhem and disorder……Though Groupthink bash their way through ten tracks as if their sordid lives depended on it, Roz Raskin's sweet harmonies and vintage organ riffs afford the record passion aplenty. If sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll is your idea of a good time - look no further than Songs For You. - Amplifier Magazine

When I first put this on I’m thinking Tom Waits in the vocals before I even read the liner notes. But then I’m thinking that’s an influence I like to hear. And in those very entertaining liner notes there’s talk of rap and hip hop but this is mostly a grungy, hazy mix that draws more on blues, prog rock, and reggae with classic keyboard/organ sounds dominating. Though I like the style of the band, the songs are hit or miss. When they do hit though, they’re usually home runs. My high scores go to “An Orange Room With No Ceiling and Sky,” a moody but cheerful take on suicide that makes me fondly recall The Stranglers. “My Secret Wife” manages to be waltzy without being in time and causes me to tango out into the flowerbed in my striped pajamas. They close Songs For You nicely with the intense “A Flower’s Funeral.” These guys show promise. - The Noise, Boston

Mr. Waters plays original compositions that showcase a unique, avant-garde take on the Delta Blues. His visceral, baritone growls explore dark, relationship-based subject matter and leave the floorboards shaking at his most rousing moments. - Head (South) East

Brooklyn musician Shawn Waters will bring his acoustic guitar and baritone vocals to the Red Rooster Coffee House Friday night. Waters is promoting his first solo release, ¿Bury Heart,¿ which he describes as ¿a unique portrayal of soul and emotion produced in the intimate style of Johnny Cash¿s `American Recordings.¿ ¿ Though the songs are folk at heart, a press release says, Waters and producer Kyle Anderson ¿draw from hip-hop, pop and punk influences to bring a new dynamic to the genre.¿ The show also features Insomniac Folklore. The music starts at 7 p.m. Admission is $3. - Aberdeen News

Brooklyn musician Shawn Waters will bring his acoustic guitar and baritone vocals to the Red Rooster Coffee House Friday night. Waters is promoting his first solo release, ¿Bury Heart,¿ which he describes as ¿a unique portrayal of soul and emotion produced in the intimate style of Johnny Cash¿s `American Recordings.¿ ¿ Though the songs are folk at heart, a press release says, Waters and producer Kyle Anderson ¿draw from hip-hop, pop and punk influences to bring a new dynamic to the genre.¿ The show also features Insomniac Folklore. The music starts at 7 p.m. Admission is $3. - Aberdeen News

“Let me know where you left your heart, I'll bury my heart next to yours, Place my heart right next to yours”; so sings Shawn Waters, in a vocal style similar to Nick Cave’s eerie drone, on the title track of his first solo release Bury Heart. The track sets out the albums main themes; love, sin and simple production.

Sitting down with the record is like hanging out with part of your teen album collection; sat on the floor, flicking through actual records and reading the inserts of CDs whilst the albums play through the speakers of your Dad's stereo. Unsurprisingly, Bury Heart has garnered comparisons to classic and established artists such as Nick Drake's Pink Moon, yet vocally Waters falls nearer Tom Waits and the aforementioned Cave, especially on the tracks “Sit Here With Me” and “Find Heart”. Strangely enough, across the record there are also echoes of Dire Straits' Mark Knophler, both vocally and musically.

The Brooklyn-based artist began working with Kyle Anderson after the producer heard Waters’ acoustic music for the first time last year. Three days spent in session in Boston produced this mature recording, together they have cooked up a really gorgeous, stripped back sound, similar to the intimate style of Johnny Cash’s American Recordings. At 18 years old Waters signed a record deal with the London hip hop label Copasetik Recordings, he rapped and created non-sample based hip hop beats. After the record label went under, Waters began an indy rock group called Shawn Waters and Groupthink, who released a record called Songs For You and toured the East coast America. Musically the road may have been long and winding, touching on rap, hip hop, indie, rock and everything in between, but Bury Heart is the sound that Waters wants to be identified with and in which he believes he has found his "voice".

The album's track list almost reads like a hymn book, opening with the blood-and-guts of “Wash Your Sins Away”. The next moment a country ballad - “When I Close My Eyes” – comes in to play.

Each of the album's eight songs hardly lasts more than 3 minutes each, and whilst that makes an album short and sweet, here's hoping that Shawn Waters solo career will carry on for longer and we'll get to see and hear more of what lies close to his heart.

Release: 2nd July 2013, Self-release - Drunken Werewolf

Brooklyn based singer-songwriter Shawn Waters preaches in earnest and sings of love, sin and God on this eight song debut. His voice blends Nick Drake’s tenderness with the rough edge of Johnny Cash. He also acknowledges the influence of Tom Waits, Michael Kiwanuka, and Justin Townes Earle and you can add to the list just about anyone else who’s sat at a piano or picked up a guitar and borne their heart and soul.

The album opens with intense “Wash your sins away,” then moves to the gentle “When I close my eyes,” which resonates like a classic country love ballad. The title track encapsulates many of the album’s themes and emotions. “I swear to God and the Holy Ghost I’ll bury my heart next to yours,” he proclaims over slow guitar and sparse piano. At three minutes it’s the longest song on the album.

Bury Heart is described as a DIY album but it’s tight and well-produced throughout. It is clearly the work of a perfectionist with each word, note and chord carefully rendered. “Get on Home Mama” is a perfectly formed minute-and-a-half of acoustic pop, whilst Find Heart pulls out all the stops with reversed loops giving way to clean lead guitar and full band accompaniment of Waters’ empassioned final song.

There is little information on Waters and his past activity. One imagines he has emerged after years listening to the great 20th century singer-songwriters, learning their craft and perfecting his own songs.

Waters does justice to his influences but does not always stand out from them. The music is described as incorporating hip-hop, pop and punk influences but they’re not very evident. It’s an acoustic folk album that sticks to familiar song structures and simple lyrics. Maybe his experimental side will come out on future releases.

Bury Heart is a solid debut and modest too. At under 20 minutes it’s likely to leave you wanting more from this musician with his heart in the right place. - DOA For The Love Of Music