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A New Jersey native, Katie Henry honed her craft paying blues clubs in and around New York City. Her 2018 debut album, High Road<\/i> earned enthusiastic critical notices as well as nominations by the IBMA and Blues Blast. Her second album (and first for Ruf Records), On My Way<\/i> is scheduled for release on January 28.<\/p>\n
Piano is Henry\u2019s primary instrument, though On My Way<\/i> features her electric guitar work as well. As was the case with her 2018 debut, all ten of the new album\u2019s songs are Henry originals, co-written with slide guitarist\/bassist Antar Goodwin. Produced by Ben Rice in New York City in May 2021, On My Way<\/i> was largely cut live in the studio, and the ineffable quality that comes from that approach shines through on the finished recordings.<\/p>\n
High Road<\/i> displayed a sound rooted in the blues, but informed by soul, jazz and a bit of country. On My Way<\/i> builds upon that while signaling a more focused turn toward the blues. From the stomping title track that opens the record, On My Way<\/i> delivers a harder edge than its predecessor. \u201cEmpty Cup\u201d is in turn sultry and bouncy, a playful, slinky number with some tasty barrelhouse piano textures.<\/p>\n
Goodwin\u2019s slide provides the opening hook for the uptempo \u201cWithout a Fight.\u201d Here Henry switches to Wurlitzer electric piano. Those two instruments dominate the sprightly arrangement, giving it a \u201ccountrypolitan\u201d feel. Henry\u2019s assured yet relaxed lead vocal shows that her time spent gigging in NYC bars helped her develop a distinctive vocal personality.<\/p>\n
The blues-rock \u201cBury You\u201d features the same insistent quality that characterizes the title track, but some appealing guitar riffage takes the song in a different direction. Henry takes a sharp stylistic turn for \u201cSetting Sun,\u201d a quiet, contemplative number that starts with acoustic guitar and subtly builds to a fuller arrangement. Together, her yearning vocal and some melodic lead guitar heighten the soaring mood as the song winds toward its conclusion.<\/p>\n
\u201cGot Me Good\u201d brings things back toward a blues feel. A mid-tempo tune with a breezy melody worthy of \u201870s era Fleetwood Mac, it\u2019s among the more mainstream-leaning tracks on On My Way<\/i>, yet it remains true to the blues-leaning aesthetic of the album. With some of the album\u2019s best lyrics, \u201cBlessings\u201d is country blues, with lovely piano figures reinforcing that feel.<\/p>\n
Blues harpist Giles Robson lends his unique talents to the thumping \u201cToo Long.\u201d His deftly-placed harmonica breaks spar with some of the album\u2019s heaviest guitar lines. Henry\u2019s keyboard work is placed in the background on this one, giving her more space to emphasize some of her most assured lead vocal work. Kurt Thurm\u2019s gurgling organ adds even more appeal to this fully-developed track.<\/p>\n
\u201cRunning Round\u201d has a character that evokes thoughts of a late night set closer. Initially doing away with everything but Henry\u2019s vocal and piano, \u201cRunning Round\u201d unfolds gradually, adding the faintest bits of guitar, drums, bass and organ. All of those instruments provide understated support. It\u2019s only in the final minute of the song that the entire ensemble kicks into full gear; at that point, the stately tune takes on an anthemic quality. It\u2019s quite easy to imagine the song \u2013 just over four minutes in its studio version \u2013 going on twice as long onstage in front of an appreciative audience.<\/p>\n
On My Way<\/i> closes with \u201cCatch Me if You Can.\u201d It\u2019s a successful hybrid of windswept Americana (with a storytelling quality) and a blues feel. The song\u2019s lyrics seem to acknowledge the musical journey upon which Katie Henry has embarked, as well as expressing optimism regarding her future. If the consistent quality of Henry\u2019s second album is any indication, there\u2019s good reason for that optimism.<\/p>\n
Concurrent with the release of On My Way<\/i>, Henry has an eight-date run of live shows on the East Coast; those will be followed in short order by a spot on Ruf\u2019s 2022 Blues Caravan Revue, with 20 dates in February and March across Germany, wrapping up in Berlin.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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