New Album: Katie Henry - Get Goin'
Katie Henry is part of a new generation of talented and passionate young artists currently reshaping the blues landscape. The New Jersey-born singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist broke out with On My Way, the critically acclaimed release that earned her a spot on Blues Rock Review’s list of the Top 20 Albums of 2022. But that record, in retrospect, merely scratched the surface.
Henry’s exciting new project Get Goin’ shows off a whole lot much more of what this intelligent and charismatic blues singer has to offer. It drops her square into an unfamiliar musical setting and sees her rise to the occasion. Backed by the crack band of celebrated bluesrocker Bernard Allison (who produced the album and contributed a pair of songs), Henry raises her game and delivers her finest performances to date.
“Working with Bernard Allison and his band was a blessing,” beams Henry as she recalls the chemistry she felt at the recording sessions in the fall of 2023. “Not only are they amazing top notch players, they are also good people with big hearts. They really support and believe in me, which means so much to me and my growth as an artist. I was inspired by them throughout the whole process.”
Henry sees this album as the next big step of a journey that began when she learned her first piano chords around the age of six. She later added guitar to her arsenal and set her sights on nearby New York City as soon as she was old enough to hit the clubs. While attending college in Manhattan she became a favorite on the local live music scene, winning over audiences with a blend of influences that included blues, rock, R&B, funk, pop, soul and country – a stylistic mix still reflected in the music she is making today. Her self-released debut High Road (2018) was universally well-received, earning award nominations from Blues Blast Magazine and the International Bluegrass Music Awards. The follow-up On My Way (a top ten entry on the Billboard blues chart) saw Henry sign with Germany’s Ruf Records and hit the road on the label’s annual Blues Caravan tour. The subsequent live CD Blues Caravan 2022 featured her jamming with tourmates Ghalia Volt and Will Jacobs – two young artists who, like Henry, are not afraid to cross boundaries and shake up the scene. Playing to discerning international audiences night after night on that concert tour allowed her to sharpen her skills on the fly.
Though she’s surrounded by experienced players on Get Goin’, her growing abilities as a singer, guitarist and keyboard player, not to mention her adept songwriting and magnetic personality, are the heart and soul of the album.
Hearing the remarkable vulnerability Henry displays on tracks such as “Wake Up Time” and “A Doll’s Heart,” it’s impossible not to feel that her newest compositions come from a place deep within her. “I’ve experienced a lot of loss and growth over the past two years,” she explains. “I think you can hear that on the record.” In this context, Henry singles out “Wake Up Time” as a track that means a lot to her. “It’s very personal. I think people will relate to it because it tells a story of surrendering to the truth, even when it’s painful.”
Still, Henry and the band do kick up a storm or three on Get Goin’, as evidenced in the sizzling, guitar-driven bluesrock of “Kerosine” and the brooding back-alley beat and big payoff crescendo of “Jump.” Producer Bernard Allison seized the chance to work with Henry in the studio and feels he achieved his goal of bring out all her strengths.
“This album presents multiple sides of Katie Henry,” says Allison. “I felt that was missing on her previous album. Her vocals, keyboards and guitar all sit in the right place on this production. Her songwriting comes straight from the heart. Her voice has clarity and power, in the vein of Bonnie Raitt or Norah Jones.” Together with his “guys” – George Moye (bass), Matthew Mwangi (drums, guitar), Eric Robert (keyboards) and Michael Murauer (guitar, engineer) – Allison is proud of what he and Henry accomplished during their brief but productive recording session.
Iconic American producer Jim Gaines, a mentor to Allison and many other artists during his storied career, has listened to Get Goin’ and gives the album an unequivocal thumbs up. The man who’s won Grammys for his work with John Lee Hooker, Santana and Stevie Ray Vaughan praises Henry’s “good voice” and “great songs” and the “wonderful job” done by all involved in the recording.
As for Katie Henry herself: She’s still got a long stretch of road in front of her. Many more shows to play, many more songs to write. Get Goin’ is, as she points out, the next step on that journey. Now that it’s done, it’s time to take the album on the road.
