This was another album I added to my queue the other day when I went on a binge of finding music. I’ve never listened to, or even heard of Judy Henske or Jerry Yester, so I had to do some googling to find some stuff about them. Judy Henske was once known as “the Queen of the Beatniks”, and was a singer/songwriter back in the day. Jerry Yesterday was a folk rock musician who at one point played in The Lovin’ Spoonful before they split up for a while. This sounds like it ought to be an interesting album to listen to, and with that, I’m going to jump on in.
“Snowblind” has a real nice, smooth groovy feel to begin. Wow, Judy Henske’s voice is amazing – it can really get some low notes, and it has amazing texture. Oh wow, theirs so much force in her voice. Holy smokes, I’m absolutely enamored with the vocals. The guitars from Yesterday really keep the song grooving well while Henske isn’t singing. Wow, I’m really reminded a lot of Big Mama Thornton’s singing with Henske. I’m blown away with the vocals, wow.
“Horse On a Stick” has almost a playful carney feel to it with the bass and keys. Wow, it’s hard to believe that the same person singing right now is Henske. The range in her voice is absolutely astounding. I know for sure I’ll be listening to more of her music quite soon.
“Lullaby” has a very slow starting, almost dark, somewhat european folk feel to it. It sort of reminds me of a Donovan song in the intro. Wow, Judy Henske’s voice is so amazing. I can’t say that enough, I feel. I’m honestly looking up her discography as I’m listening to this. There definitely is a lullaby sort of feel to this song – steeped in darkness, yet comforting all at the same time. Very interesting song.
“St. Nicholas Hall” sort of has an almost European folksy vibe again, but not nearly as dark, and it sounds like it perhaps comes from a time from long ago. There’s a definite gospel feel to it, with the background vocals and soundscape sounding like they’re emanating from a church choir. This song really is beautiful, and is super folksy, I’m really digging this one.
“The Three Ravens” reminds me of a traditional Christmas-time song with the strings, the harp, and the choir – and it sounds absolutely serene. Oh wow, those low notes pick up a whole lot of flavor and bring it home to this song. What a beautiful arrangement. I really got lost in this one.
Oh wow, “Raider” has almost a folksy bluegrass feel to it. I’m digging that banjo really giving the track a whole lot of flavor. This definitely sounds like some super complex jug band song at this point. I really dig that fiddle, this song is sweet. The bass line in this one is super groovy too. The percussion really adds a uniqueness to this song compared to earlier ones on the album, but that being said, each song has been really unique and a great listening experience so far. Judy Henske’s singing isn’t as prominently featured in this one, but the vocal arrangement is super layered and complex, and is really making me surrender to the song, I’m sure there’s a better way to say that, but it’s not inaccurate. This tune is super complex and layered, wow. I really dig this one. The vocals keep going strong as the track fades out, leaving a feeling of continuation of sorts for the listener to enjoy.
“Mrs. Connor” feels like a ballad of sorts, with Yesterday being the main vocal piece on this one. This one has a strange, almost psychedelic dream-like approach to it, with certain instruments hanging looser than others at times, creating a dreamy soundscape of sorts. Definitely a neat track.
“Rapture” has an epic, storytelling feel to it – almost like its something from the Bible being sung or something, there’s just that sort of sound to it. The harmonica really adds a really nice flavor to the mix, and that piano really hits some tasty notes. Henske’s voice sounds like its raining down from the heavens in this one – super interesting. I did just realize this song is titled, “Rapture”, so the biblical feeling does make sense. The bass notes on the piano fall down with the weight of a skyscraper, really awesome feel to this song.
“Charity” has a strange feel to it, it’s almost a folksy lounge type song mixed with a church choir tune. That doesn’t feel like the best description, but this one has such a unique feeling. It’s pop-y, folksy, and has that sort of optimistic faith feel of choir. Definitely a unique feel to this one.
“Farewell” definitely has a conclusive feel to it. It feels like the song picks up any unresolved tension built up in the previous songs and adds to it all, creating this massive ball of tension that’s begging to be resolved. As that builds up, the song feels like it’s picking up pace – it’s almost like a giant meteor coming crashing to the ground. Wow, what a finish. The song doesn’t necessarily resolve the tension, but rather lets it all go and fade out as the song comes to a conclusion. Super interesting, pretty awesome song.
This album was really fun to listen. I’m not even sure what genre it necessarily falls into, certainly some sort of fusion of genres. What I know for sure is that Judy Henske’s voice is absolutely incredible in both depth and range, and that I will be listening to more of her work soon. I also discovered while listening to browsing the web about Henske and Yester, that Yester was charged for possession of child pornography in 2017, and promptly kicked out of The Lovin’ Spoonful. This album is definitely an interesting listen, if even for Judy Henske alone. I didn’t think I’d ever come across something like that during a listening to an album, so take that with what you will. I think this one is still a super interesting listen, yet find it hard to consolidate what happened with Jerry Yester. I guess maybe its like raving about Subway sandwiches being really tasty after the whole Jared thing. Either way, if you do listen, I hope you find it at least as interesting as I did, and if you don’t want to listen because of Yester, I recommend you look at Henske’s other work, as her voice is absolutely stunning in this one.
-A