Peggy Watson and David Beldock are singer-songwriters from the San Diego area who have released their first CD together titled Just Like You & Me. The music is mostly folk, but there are some hints of the blues. With only a few instruments, the music is not overly complex, letting the listener focus on the vocals and words more than the melodies of the 13 tracks found here.

The CD starts off on a strong note with "Feel the Wind." This song, according to the promotional material, won second place at the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. I'm not surprised, as it is a good track. David leads the vocals with Peggy joining in as backup harmonizer on occasion. David has a good singing voice, but when Peggy joins in, they sound even better together. The song in part focuses on the woman the singer loves. Her father does not like him and forbids him to see his daughter any more.

The first time you hear Peggy lead a song is on "Running Away." Her voice comes across as a little weak. She has a slight warble. Fortunately, David harmonizes with her on the chorus. The song is about the singer leaving someone behind and how it feels good to move on. As Peggy implies, some people just shouldn't be together. The lyrics are not bad.

"My Baby Just Cares For Me" is the one cover on the CD. Peggy sings to a very simplified version of this song. There are a couple guitar segments that are purposely overdone. The track sounds like it was recorded during a jam session and comes across as a little amateurish. But it sounds like they are having fun.

Both Peggy and David are artists in their own right with individual releases under their belts, but they decided to join their talents together for Just Like You & Me. David plays guitars, banjtar, electric bass and keyboards. Peggy plays guitar. To flesh out the music on Just Like You & Me, Jeff Berkley provides percussion while Pete Harrison handles acoustic bass.

As much as I've tried, I cannot get into this CD as a whole. While I have no problem with David's vocals -- they are pretty decent actually -- I do not care for Peggy's vocals except when she is harmonizing with David. I am also a little lost with some of the lyrics. Sometimes they are just a little too cute for my taste. I do think there are tracks here that are good. But I just keep going back to feeling like I'm at a friend's place listening to a couple casually play during a party. The performance is definitely better than your average Joe, but it doesn't sound professional. So, I guess if you like your folk-rock a little more personal and less polished, then Beldock & Watson might just be worth checking out.

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