A couple of bars into the first track of this album and you
can pinpoint it straight away as the work of Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin.
Phillip's trademark harmonica has been an established feature on the UK’s folk
and roots circuit, especially excelling during the award winning duo’s many
live shows up and down the land. WATERSHED is their third studio album,
following in the wake of their hugely successful last album MYND. As you would
expect from such a talented pairing, the new record is packed full of moving
tunes and stimulating songs, with the theme for this release steering more to
the personal, contemporary and figurative rather than historical and
reflective. However the sound is as cross purpose as before with a heady mix of
Appalachia and homespun appeal, ensuring a stream of recognition from both the
Americana and folk worlds.
Weighing in at twelve tracks and fifty-four minutes, this
album is one of the meatier releases out there, and throw in its style as the
antipode of pop leaves many facets to be digested. Lyrically the record is
owned by Hannah’s temptress vocals supplemented by her role as the main word
architect, but the duo status is strongly bound by the way Phillip's diverse
harmonica and slide guitar playing welds together the components of each song. The
single word name to each track suggests an uncomplicated stance, yet this
belies the enormous depth to the ten songs and two instrumentals.
The first of the instrumentals is titled ‘December’ and fits neatly as the filling
of a seasonal trilogy flanked by ‘Conkers’
and ‘January’. The latter is an
acapella number, obviously divinely delivered by Hannah and is a prime example
of her voice adding beauty to a blank canvas. Phillip does take lead vocal on ‘Yarrow Mill’, an emotive piece inspired
by his grandparents meeting in industrial Lancashire. Although the duo are
based in Devon, they do take the song writing a
lot further north in the title track with references to Coniston and Lingmoor
from the Lake District setting for ‘Watershed’.
The sentiments of this excellent opening track can be interpreted as how
nature, or in particular rainfall, reflects the uncertainties of life.
The two songs with the most personal appeal appear in the early
and latter stages of the record. ‘Stones’
is a beautifully written response to the UKIP representative who associated gay
marriage with the stormy weather. A song packed with sumptuous slide guitar, a
fine groove and the striking line ‘wherever they choose to love’. Later in the
album, the touching track ‘Foundling’
delves straight to your heat. The sentiment is heavy and the last line of the
final verse poignantly states that the mother’s eyes are ‘a bit like mine’. The
theme is continued a couple of tracks later following Phillip's arrangement of
the Irish traditional tune ‘Lament’,
when the more upbeat ‘London’
suggests an optimistic future for the subject.
Of the remaining three tracks, ‘Letter (Unsent)’ is tender and evocative, ‘Tonight’ is a short lyrical piece defined by harmonica and fiddle,
and ‘Taxis’ is a more explicit song
emphasising the transient nature of their musical calling. Throughout the
record, the inventive musicianship, satisfying blend and beautiful artistry
takes the music of Phillip and Hannah to another level.
While WATERSHED does not delve into the territory of their
popular gig singalong ‘The Nailmakers’
Strike’ and all its protest connotations, the content is far more subtle,
demanding the listener’s absolute attention before endlessly spilling its
riches. This album is about the evolution of Phillip Henry and Hannah Martin as
a recording duo without erasing those trademark qualities. The connection from
artistic talent to active listener is well and truly made.
www.philliphenryandhannahmartin.co.uk
