Watershed - Harbour (CD)

Eighteen years after the release of their debut album ‘In The Meantime’, Watershed have put together their seventh studio album, ‘Harbour'. This South African music success story has had a string of radio singles that way surpasses the years they have been around. ‘Indigo Girl’, ‘Fine Way’ and ‘Letters’ are some of the tracks that put the band on national charts. The band has toured and had major success in the big European territories, performing alongside some of the biggest names in the music world, such as U2, Peter Gabriel, Bob Geldof, The Corrs and The Cranberries and recently, James. Craig Hinds, lead singer and songwriter of Watershed, has built a career on lyrics and melodies that have touched the fans and consistently grown a following with every album they’ve produced. ‘Harbour' boasts 10 tracks that are acoustic in their construction, and current in their appeal. Hinds teamed up with fellow band made and producer, Gideon Botes, to come up with a great production for the album. “We took a while to get this album done as we had to carve time out of our own schedules to work on this record. It’s not that easy to record and produce a full album within weeks. It requires a different kind of discipline but allowed us the freedom to listen to each track and make improvements, of course. It’s actually so amazing to be part of a band who’s individually talented and more than that, mature enough to let the songs do the talking without the influence of too much ego. It’s such a privilege to work with each of them,” said Hinds. 
The band consist of Craig Hinds, lead vocalist and guitar, Howie Combrink on drums and guitar, Gideon Botes on electric guitar, Quintin Askes on bass and Paul Mc Iver on acoustic guitar. The musicianship on this album is incredible and the vocals predictably powerful. The song structures are original and the lyrics of each track breathtakingly honest. The ballads, true to the form and style of this well-loved band, are meaningful and emotional beyond our wildest dreams. Lyrically, Craig and the team has captured stories that we all live with daily and will feel forever. ‘Harbour’ is well balanced with an even spread of up-tempo tracks with the sounds of mandolins, banjos, violins and ukuleles, playing an integral part in this incredible energy. 
The band also paid tribute to the 80’s Waterboys song, ‘Fisherman’s Blues’. They’ve been performing this track live and added a cover of it on their new album. The first single of the album, ‘Mountainside’ is an up tempo, groove filled, bass driven track. The message is simple; it’s time to move on from the negativity we are faced with every day. “I’m waiting for the perfect day to spread my wings and fly down the mountainside”, says Hinds. We can continue to explore cause and effect but the actual route to a life that’s meaningful and forward moving is to embrace simplicity and explore the small joys that give us true meaning. Another great song on the album is ‘Out The Window’, featuring the South African icon, Lira. This duet is simply incredible with the two voices working together to give us a hauntingly beautiful song about two people watching themselves grow old together from a third person perspective. Craig continued saying, “Lira is a dream to work with and her enthusiasm and straight up love for what she does reminds me why we do what we do. It’s not about trying to find the next hit or breaking into a market, it’s about creating a song from nothing and watching it grow into something so much more than you ever imagined.” The band just came back from a successful nationwide tour, with already a busy schedule ahead. They’ll continue their Harbour tour throughout the year, taking their new album to almost every city in South Africa with live shows – making sure all their fans get their hands on it.

01 I’ll See You Again
02 Shoulder To Cry On
03 Time To Begin
04 Mountainside
05 Fisherman’s Blues
06 Out The Window
07 Drowning
08 Where To Now
09 From Where I Stand
10 Flashlight