The debut album Dear… by 23-year-old Keaton Henson was inspired by a traumatic break-up and features a heart-on-sleeve and sincere account of a young man working through the pain. The 10-tracks were quietly recorded in Henson’s London bedroom with fingerpicked guitar and his fragile vocals, resulting in an intimate listen. The album opens with a short instrumental track consisting of chimes, sampled speech and bird chirps then moves onto brooding “You Don’t Know How Lucky You Are” which laments an ex-girlfriend in the arms of another. Amidst a collection soulful, melancholy songs there are a few fleeting moments of positivity and healing like “Sarah Minor” a tender song of shared memories. Dear… should not be missed especially since Henson suffers from petrifying stage fright that means limited live shows, it any. – Written by JFelton
SIMILAR | Bon Iver, Nick Drake, JBM, Elliott Smith, The Staves, Withered Hand