LONDON, UK (Top40 Charts/ Bang On PR) Carson Henley is a 26 year old singer/songwriter from Seattle, Washington. His mother herself sang onstage nightly, until the very week he was born... possibly explaining his innate feel for rhythm. His sound confirms his rich, soulful roots; but the distinctive, memorable melodies are the fruit of the vine.
Henley has just completed his sophomore effort with Grammy Award winning producer Kory Kruckenberg; the resulting record '100 Hours' emits vintage soul with a raw rock edge, earning comparisons to Jamie Lidell, The
Black Keys and Mayer Hawthorn - with just a dash of
Ollie Murs' pop sensibilities.
Originating from Seattle, Henley's soulful ministrations elicit elements of the city's grungy past, with hints of
Nirvana and Mud
Honey tucked around swaths of brass horns and pop inflected choruses. '100 Hours' is led by trembling bass lines and Henley's scratchy bluesy vocals, invoking Americana at its best. A classically trained pianist, R&B aficionado and lover of pop music, Henley has created a textured record that finds its home on pop radio whilst simultaneous invoking imagery of dingy dance clubs full of sweaty teenagers on balmy Southern nights.
The album's first single, 'Fire' showcases the songwriter's soulful voice, funky blues instrumentals, and contrasting harmonies with punchy keyboards, funky bass, finely plucked guitar and an unrelenting dance tempo.
Stream 'Fire' Here: https://soundcloud.com/carsonhenley/fire
Armed with nothing more than a notepad, his piano and an iPhone, Henley walked into Kruckenberg's Seattle studio wanting to test his musical stripes and song writing ability by completing his sophomore album in a condensed number of improvisational sessions, the best tracks of which make up '100 Hours' - a big gamble for an indie artist to sink an entire life's savings into a project like this.
"Usually artists have months in studios with songs that are already written, or at least with some melodies, hooks and lyrics in mind. I wanted this project to be different. I forced myself to continually create organically, without preconceived song ideas, to see what would happen in that kind of intense environment."
Friends Allen Stone,Brian Lucey (The
Black Keys, The Shins) and
James McAlister (Sufjan Stevens, Brandi Carlile) were all invaluable to the creative process on '100 Hours', with all its pressures, hurdles and triumphs. Seattle-based director Brian Nunes captured the recording process on film for a 48-minute documentary that chronicles this rare musical feat.
Having already tested out '100 Hours' at SXSW in March, Carson Henley is due to tour the UK and
Europe later this year. Keep your eyes peeled.
