Beth Waters

Ah, the female singer-songwriter: admired and respected for actually writing her songs. Tori Amos, Fiona Apple, Alanis Morrisette—and, she hopes, San Francisco’s Beth Waters, who penned all the tunes on this first release. Waters’ music career began gathering momentum after her song “Blue and White” was used on the WB show One Tree Hill and another, “Sweaters,” on the television drama 1-800-Missing. “Sweaters,” featured here, sounds like a TV background song—lots of piano (her instrument of choice), a smooth voice that turns urgent easily, and a semi-cheesy chorus line: “I believe I can change the world, just give me time.” Fortunately, it’s the weakest song of the lot. The more interesting tunes do set her apart—“Slut Song,” with its low and pulsing cello accompaniment, and the saucy “Edge of the Earth,” which shows off Waters’ impressive writing talent. Her vocals and piano are nicely backed here by percussion, guitar and strings.Beth Waters appears at the Bean Scene on Saturday, Oct. 2, at 8 p.m.