Keaton Henson - Dear
Artist: Keaton Henson
Album: Dear
Label: Oak Ten Records
OUT NOW
Rating: 3.5/5
This week sees Keaton Henson release his debut album Dear, which is an incredibly personal album for the twenty three year old.
Dear was written and recording in Keaton’s bedroom and this album really is intimate with a capital I - I don’t think that you get more up close and personal than this.
However I have to say that am not a fan of the prologue as it is just eighty one seconds of nothing, you almost get the feeling that he was one track short of a ten track album so he just bunged it on there.
You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are is the opening track on the album and it sees Keaton sing about a rather traumatic relationship breakdown.
With lyrics such as ‘Does he know not to talk about your dad? Does he know when you’re sad, you don’t like to be touched?’ Keaton addresses a former lover directly - this really is a beautiful record.
It is a track that we can all relate to as we have all loved and lost and seen partners move on to be with other people. But this is such a personal track you can feel Keaton’s emotion and pain in every strained word. This is by far the strongest track on the album!!
Charon is another track that has also been causing a stir is inspired by the ferryman of the River Styx but there is a feel of loneliness and isolation throughout this entire track.
Dear is a real stripped back album that focuses on Keaton’s vocals and his writing ability as the lyrics are just as prominent as the vocals on this record.
Dear is an insight into this musician’s heart and soul as Keaton lays himself bear and shows his thoughts and feelings to the world.
There is an acoustic feel throughout but there is also a folk element to the album, which also works really well.
But it is not all doom and gloom as Sarah Minor is one of the more upbeat tracks on this album, and it is a welcome relief to some of the more downbeat tracks.
There is no doubt that Keaton is a special musical talent but I imagine that Dear will not be to everyone’s taste as it heavy going. I would like to see Keaton possibly try something a little more upbeat on future recordings.
Keaton Henson - Dear is out now
FemaleFirst Helen Earnshaw