Birthdays (Deluxe Edition)
With a voice reminiscent of a young Steve Forbert and unflinching, honest lyrics worthy of Mark Kozelek, the London-based singer/songwriter and illustrator Keaton Henson evokes a private world just a few degrees removed from those of Elliott Smith, Jeff Buckley, Bon Iver, Conor Oberst, and others to whom he\'s often been compared. His own stage fright has made him even more famous among the underground and clued listeners into empathizing ever deeper with his gentle, emotionally true songs. Yet lest you think he\'s all sensitive singer/songwriter, the humor of \"Kronos\" will set the record straight. And where his 2010 debut, *Dear…*, was a beautiful lo-fi expedition, *Birthdays* lets the sound open up ever so subtly. The deluxe edition includes three bonus tracks—\"Milk Teeth,\" \"If I Don\'t Have To,\" and \"On the News\"—that are among the most powerful and most detailed of Henson\'s career to date.
Album number two from the painfully-shy singer-songwriter mixes sparse balladry and a fuller band sound, dominated by the honesty of its creator.
ClashMusic: Read an album review of Keaton Henson's second album 'Birthdays' produced by American indie producer Joe Chiccarelli. Released 18th February 2013.
Keaton Henson's lacerating take on love lifts this album above the soft-focus angst of his peers, writes <strong>Ally Carnwath</strong>
Henson's unvarying introspection grows maudlin, but his malevolence livens things up, writes <strong>Maddy Costa </strong>