Hetta Falzon, Henrietta, Last Recordings on Earth ****

A rare as hen’s teeth release emotionally

This piece was mainly written before I had heard the remaining 3 songs which I have this morning. A little update, then.

Of course – it’s all good news – this confessional memoir of pained young love that vaults over genres to smash through the inadequacies of unvarnished singer songwritery down the yellow brick road to the gleaming outer suburbs of jazz slogging on to Billie Holiday-esque and Amy noir is the new album of the week. That’s bearing in mind it’s a 9 track EP but excuse the latitude because it feels substantial enough to be one.

Write all this dithering over terminology in nadsat if you prefer. But Alex and his droogs won’t get the music of Henrietta – mercifully.

Fact rather than dystopian fiction. And yet curiously there’s an International Anthony Burgess Foundation Hetta Falzon show in Manchester on Wednesday night.

The extended version of ‘Sobering‘ with its rococo introduction is one of many highlights. A serial pleasure to listen as each song was released all this proved prior to the recent full release.

Just as compelling as the very beautiful ‘Freckles’ with its goose pimples inducing twang of the first some syllable of “Something” underpinned by church hall piano as ‘I Hope You Notice Me’ Matt Maltese song ‘Love Will Kill Me’ subsequently proved.

It’s all fresh as a daisy from the brilliantly maudlin slow tempo loving Worzels County hailing English singer-songwriter Hetta Falzon accompanying herself on piano.

‘Switch It off,’ and ‘Touchy Subject‘ I don’t know so well yet but they fit the very late night extremely intimate kind of black mood of the EP very well.

https://open.spotify.com/album/00SK7X2cLpcb6V85WI2jKb?si=O15yYj6RTB-eLisvXY8l0g

The bar is set inordinately high by the Royal Northern College of Music student in a crowded field already far beyond simply poignancy or faux vulnerability.

Falzon was first on marlbank‘s radar last year when she delivered the extraordinary “lump in my throat” song ‘Sobering’ a Beau Miles, Daniel Angell, Falzon co-write.

The extended version of ‘Sobering’ with its rococo and highly positive introduction full of a beaming, swooning buoyancy is one of many highlights. It has a wrapping of strings and vivid lyrics. The people call them butterflies… it feels a little like a bumble bee that stings and dies intro that features an entirely different tune is a gem in itself not just an intro but complete for added value with delightful flute and strings coating pulled over it before the main tune comes in and the mood goes from sunny to darkest but accepting blue.

An introvert’s rewrite of Amy’s ‘Rehab’ in sentiment on one non-boisterous level as a general comment overall? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Whatever it’s a real achievement.

One would hope if any typically pony tailed slash shaven headed tats all over A&R pierced in all the right places worth their salt working for a proper label out there is paying attention they’ll want to do their “magic” and if not at least have a word with the bean counters back at HQ and pop a bit of dosh on the table to sign our Hen up asap for another spin round the sun for her next recording stint and get her everything she needs.

Because there’s probably a whole lot more in the can or in her head. You get that feeling of potential stamped on this all through like a stick of seaside rock. Regardless and never mind this wishful thinking, Henrietta is far more than just another release out there sending a vital message in a bottle to everyone direct from her desert island floating on the Internet.

https://marlbank.net/jazz-gig-guide/