Henta

I learned of Henta, from Ethan Matthew's Echo Us project. Henta was a guest singer on that project, but she is an independent Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter, and producer originally from the UK, now living in Roslyn, Washington, USA. Butterfly Song is Henta's fifth release, and follows her last album release Laserium for the Soul which was nominated for a Grammy in 2009 and highlights her musical evolution over the past 20 years.

As Henta states in her PR statement, Butterfly Song is a story of metamorphosis, transformation, passion and compassion. It documents the flight back into the world following a time of reflection, self-discovery and recaptured joy, gained during a new chapter of life. It speaks of freedom from the paralysis of fear so deeply and inherently engrained within us. It is also a call to action for people to awaken from a state of passive observation into a proactive mindset that benefits both community and the planet" (http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/henta4, 2012).

The guest musicians sharing their gifts on this album include: Maria Scherer Wilson, (cellist on Rain); Ethan Matthews, (acoustic & electric guitars - (Magic Queen); Jim Graham, (upright bass on Magic Queen); Marcell Marias (dumbek Magic Queen); Roger Beardsley, (acoustic bass Shine Again and Back to Peace); and Hugh Fraser, (banjos on Shine Again).

"Magic Queen" is a peaceful, joyous opening, like the first breath of light from a sunshine filled spring day, after a long cold winter. The guitar work from Matthew's tracks perfectly to the rhythm of Henta's voice and the dumbek keeps pace with both. You can hear Henta's passion throughout this piece, especially in the lyrics, "Gonna take you…on a beautiful dream. Gonna warm you with my desire".

"Shine Again" is fun romp in Eastern Washington's western culture, like a walk through the Methow Valley in the summer, full of banjo, foot stomping and clapping. Just try not to dance. "Well I say love will never die. Push the dark clouds up from the sky. I say truth will conquer pain, as people learn to shine again".

"Rain" is one of the best tracks on the album. It is full of emotion, tears, and yet there is a wink of light that shines through. The lyrics even reflect the hard times, "And all I see is a dry land. And it's screaming out for life. It's been so many years now. Since the drought." Beautiful piano and soft cello comfort and surround Henta as she sings. But this is also a protest song against the destruction of the Earth and natural resource depletion by large corporate farming.

"Yellow", I have to admit took me right back to one of my favorite albums by the Innocence Mission. The feelings and the motion of the wave like rhythm just takes you away. "Ye…aaaaa..llow", yeh, that sounds so good when Henta sings it. Yeh, the drums and guitar set the perfect pace for sitting in a field of green on a mountain side or a field of daffodils in the Skagit Valley. Yellow, the happiness color in the world!

"Gingerbread House", will take you back to childhood with fairytale like girlish singing. Henta actually owns a cute home that almost looks like a gingerbread house in Roslyn. The song reflects the joy of owning her own place in one of Washington's most fascinating locations. Pitched directly between the cold, wet Western Cascades and the dry eastern desert, Henta has plenty of vistas and opportunities to appreciate the overwhelming landscapes that surround her. Yes, it is tough to make a new start, and this song captures those emotions well, but Henta has stood tall through it all.

"Hummingbird" is another great song full of reflections on the past wrapped up in the feelings of the moment. Well-paced drums, acoustic guitar and keys follow Henta's vocal humming as she drifts through the emotions and moments of ascension and decline.

"People Come Alive" is another fun romp full of powerful uplifting emotion and wonderful lyrics. "Today is a good day with a vibration strong". The guitar work is some of the best on the album. The keys and percussion support the rhythm well. The lyrics really lift your emotions high. A real energy provider.

"I've Come Home" is another wonderful story of happiness and love. "Right up to daylight I will love you. Through the mist and the rain I will carry you. When the sun shines down I will know you. That's when I know I've come home". Powerful lyrics driven with soft cello and excellent keys.

"Whole Heart" opens with excellent guitar chording and then Henta's soft voice. "Give me that…whole heart". Yeh, it almost sounds like a Laurie Anderson/Peter Gabriel track. Henta's voice fills the soundscape like no other song on the album. All the glory of her voice spread across the fine layers of keys that weave in and out. Simply amazing.

"Back to Peace" opens with soft acoustic guitar that will simply hold your attention spellbound. The chords weave their magic as you close your eyes and contemplate the sky above, sitting in a meadow of tall grass, as the soft trickle of the river rolls by.

"Sway With Me" opens with soft, warm keys over a drifting dreamscape. Then Henta sings, "Pictures in my mind. So many times…so many times. Just sway with me. Just you and me". Henta's British accent is wonderful.

Henta ends the album with the epic track, "Whisper". "My mind is rolling along. My heart is broken. But I am strong". "When you whisper I get lost in the sound". A near whisper, but full of emotion, with a Gaelic sounding melody and feel. "My life is changing. The weight is getting lighter".

This is an amazing album of transitions and original, heart – felt music. Butterfly Song traces Henta's recent development and move from Seattle, and like a butterfly she transitions well, rising above circumstances and a move across regions.

Track Listing:

1. Magic Queen
2. Shine Again
3. Rain
4. Yellow
5. Gingerbread House
6. Hummingbird
7. People Come Alive
8. I've Come Home
9. Whole Heart
10. Back to Peace
11. Sway With Me
12. Whisper

Added: April 16th 2012
Reviewer: Mark Johnson
Score:
Related Link: Hentamusic.com
Hits: 520
Language: english - Sea of Tranquililty

HENTA MUSIC - New Age music and the Grammys make strange bedfellows and case in point is the singer-songwriter known as Henta Ellis, mostly known as Henta. In the 52nd Grammy Awards in January 31, 2010, Henta was nominated in a category with legends like that year’s winner David Darling, as well as Kitaro and some other classic New Age heroes. I remember some New Age guru almost besmirching Henta’s innocence. Turned out, Henta sounding like Enya’s fairy god mother from a more rooted musical galaxy was very impressive indeed. That Henta sound so succinctly captured in the Grammy nominated Laserium For The Soul is carried forward on the 2012 release of Butterfly Song. Bursting out of a musical cocoon, the 12 track Butterly Song CD should appeal to fans of other female singers like Enya and Buffy St. Marie. There’s even a great CD closing instrumental called “Whisper” Some of Henta’s friends appear including Northwest guitarist / singer-songwriter Ethan Matthews but the accent here is on Henta’s songs and voice and her superb keyboard / electronic accompaniment. www.hentamusic.com - MWE3.com

This fifth release by Grammy-nominated artist Henta reflects a butterfly in motion. Some of the tracks flow evenly and you can almost see a butterfly floating on the breaths of air in the garden. Other tracks leave you feeling like you are in free-fall through the sky. Then there is one called "Shine" that features banjo music and has more of a country/Gospel feel. That track has you tapping your feet and swaying with joy.

Henta's music is a blend of ambient and acoustic. She is able to use her voice so it becomes another instrument in the ensemble. Sometimes you can't tell where her voice ends and the instruments begin. Her piano notes sparkle while the lower cello notes of some tracks add substance and form.

Originally from the UK, Henta now lives in Roslyn, Wash. This album, like the name, follows the metamorphosis of a butterfly from cocoon to free flying butterfly. This is another feel-good and thoughtful hit with meaningful lyrics that show Henta's 20-year evolution into the artist she is today.

Listen to samples of this album, view her videos, and read her blog at www.hentamusic.com.
- New Spirit Journal

Here is a cool interview by Elliot Trotter of me talking about my new song ‘Rain‘ and also a great live music video of me performing/recording this song, that he filmed and produced at the Piano Studio Seattle. The piano was recorded on a beautiful Steinway at the Piano Studio, so if you’re looking for a piano with an amazing sound and action, in a beautiful environment, then look no further, it was a joy to play.

‘Rain‘ in basic terms is a song about survival, the urgent need to look after our earth and support our local communities. Change starts at a local level, so it’s up to everyone to try and make their own personal contribution to help bring about positive global change.
- The Melon, by Elliot Trotter

I had the pleasure to get Daisy Dancing - and on listening to it (many times) find it compares favorably with Beth Orton - great work!

...Steve>>> - Steve Turnidge - Ars Divina/ UltraViolet Studio

Laserium
for the Soul
Music CD
by Henta
This
music is
called
“sonic
nurturing
for
your
inner
garden” and I certainly feel
nurtured when listening to
it. The music is designed
to work with balancing
and supporting the main
chakras. Henta has workedin
the vowel sounds and musical
keys for each chakra to
help activate their vibration.
Henta is a singer/songwriter
and has been writing
songs for about 30 years.
Although classically trained
on piano, she progressed
to keyboards ranging from
a Yamaha SY55 to a Roland
XP-80. She now has a home
studio set up in Seattle and
uses Cubase SX3/Cubase 4
with mostly virtual instruments
for her recordings, as
well as using Ableton LIVE
for peformances.
“Laserium for the Soul”
is one of those CDs you
can meditate to, play in the
background while being
creative, or even enjoy while
driving your car. The music
is very adaptable. Sometimes
it feels very energizing
while at others it is relaxing
and trancelike. The sounds
range from electronic to
vocal and sometimes it is
very difficult to actually
name what sound is being
produced; this is part of the
magic of the album.
If you’re looking for something
a little different that
will make you feel good,
give this CD a try. If you
can’t find it at your local
store, go to www.henta.
co.uk. - New Spiritual Journal

KJ Sawka is one of the best drum and bass drummers about and has worked with Amon Tobin, London Electricity, LTJ Bukem and this extract is from an interview with UK Adapta where he mentions having worked with me also:

http://www.ukadapta.com/e/music/kjs.html

- What UK artists have you worked with?
K: I have worked and remixed a girl called Henta who does kind of Downtempo and Electronica music. I worked with London Elektricity on some tracks for them. I appeared on a track by Amon Tobin called The Killer’s Vanilla on his full length Foley Room album. We have been playing shows together whenever he comes to Seattle and he’s a huge inspiration to me. I have also worked with Dave Traxx, A-Sides and Nicky Blackmarket. - UK Adapta

HENTA MUSIC - The world's going crazy and nobody gives a damn anymore. Those words were actually written by Kinks mainman Ray Davies on the Sleepwalker album back in 1977. I guess, 30+ years later, not much has changed in a world still ruled by fear, war and greed. Perhaps that’s why the healing vibe of New Age music is on track for a major comeback in 2010. One new artist taking the bull by the horns so to speak is U.K. bred, Washington state based Henta. I usually have little faith in the “Grammy” awards given out each year but I was pretty surprised to find out that among the usual suspects, Henta’s 2009 CD, Laserium For The Soul was actually nominated for a grammy, taking place as usual in early 2010. Put simply, Henta’s new CD is a splendid way to relax for an hour or so. Compared to most of the New Age music released today, Henta’s CD features her wondrous singing meshed with her own light electronica accompaniment. Even though that concept isn’t new, perhaps it’s the way Henta has structured her sound that really elevates it and makes the whole thing click. Henta’s 2008 CD, Daisy Dancing was well received but if people get to hear the new Laserium CD, I think it could be a big success. A description of Henta’s sound might be a kind of 21st century Enya—a stellar merging of pop, rock and even some hip beats all fueled by a trance and dance kind of New Age meditation vibe that instills serenity in the listener at every turn. Henta’s You Tube videos are really cool. The CD artwork for the Laserium CD is excellent. Inside, in the liner notes you, can read about healing light and gentle journeys of relaxation and meditation and balancing your energy chakra's. If you’re stressed out and/or bummed out the way this 00 decade of war and recession has turned out, dim the lights, get comfortable and let Henta’s magical music take your weary mind away. www.Henta.co.uk - Music Web Express 300