On April 29th, Ben Watt, also known as one half of Everything But The Girl and founder of Buzzin' Fly Records, will release Hendra, his first album in more than 30 years.
More than three weeks in advance of release, NPR Music is offering an exclusive stream of the album through their First Listen series, with an accompanying piece written by Ann Powers.
Hendra will be released on April 14th in the UK and the rave reviews have begun to roll in. Mojogave the album 4 stars and said "Hendra might deal with life's compromises but there's no disappointment here." Q also gave the album the heralded 4 star review and said Hendra offers "mature reflections on memory and loss... humor and hope."
Uncut magazine has made Hendra their Album of the Month and said "Stripped-down folk aesthetic couldn't be more contemporary. What's new is the worldview, and that is what gives Hendra its stark power. These are beautiful songs penned from mid-life."
Recorded in London and Berlin, the music is a meeting of worlds: languid folk, distorted rock and buzzing electronics; in part a result of the album's two central collaborators, ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, and Berlin-based producer Ewan Pearson.
The album also includes one other unexpected stellar cameo - Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, who adds plangent slide guitar and backing vocals on "The Levels."
Also to be released this year is Watt's memoir "Romany and Tom", which will be published by Bloomsbury Press in North America this June. The Financial Times called the book "a poignant, life-affirming work" while novelist John Niven said "Forget Morrissey: 'Romany and Tom' is the most beautiful, compelling memoir by a musician you'll read for a very long time.”
Ben Watt is available for interviews and performances. Hendra is now available for pre-order in the US:
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