In 2003, Barb Waters’ ‘Rosa Duet’ debuted on the Australian airwaves. It was met with a warm and favourable response from radio stations and garnered high praise from the press nationwide. Two years in the making, produced by Craig Pilkington and released on Laughing Outlaw Records, the album featured duets and songwriting collaborations with a range of already-celebrated artists – the much-missed Cyndi Boste, Kim Salmon, Dan Warner, GIT, Anna Burley, Matt Walker, Ash Davies, Nick Barker, Lisa Miller, Rebecca Barnard, and Rob Snarski. Described as ‘highly recommended’, ‘seductive’, with ‘lyrics like they come from the soul’, Rosa Duet was featured in Rhythms Magazine’s Top 10 albums for 2003 and got a runner-up gong for album of the year from Rhythm’s editor and Off the Record programmer Brian Wise.

20 years later in 2023, Barb Waters’ ‘Rosa Duet’ finds a new home at Cheersquad Records & Tapes with its first vinyl release.  Pressed on beautiful red recycled vinyl, Rosa Duet is ready to be revisited by existing fans and introduced to a new generation of alt-country fans.

Waters claims that the songwriting process– or the journey –was as pivotal as the destination. Waters and her collaborators expanded on ideas and scenarios that had been living in her head for some time – couples on the verge of breaking up, “doors slamming” (Make it Count, Vacancy Signs), love and friendship that may be around the corner (When Will You Come My Way, Thinking A Lot About You), sparks which may need to be extinguished before they burn out of control (I Won’t See You Again). Duets with several voices telling tales of family and friendship were formed– Wipe Away My Tears, Further Down the Line, Jessie (Me & You). These songs were shaped and shared around the kitchen tables of Barb’s Melbourne-based duetters and paid homage to many of the great duetists – Nancy & Lee, George & Tammy, Emmylou & Gram.

Following its 2004 European release, further highly favourable press rolled in: ‘…an outstanding collection of songs with the strongest vocals…all year’, ‘wonderfully radiant’, ‘heart-stopping’, and ‘sterling stuff’.

‘Rosa Duet’ featured in the Euro-Americana charts for several weeks, was showcased on BBC Radio, and was feature album of the week on Benelux and German-based radio stations.