Keaton Henson : Versions

Keaton Henson’s career is nothing short of miraculous. As a beloved lyricist, a respected instrumentalist and orchestral composer, Henson has been held in the devoted arms of a fan base who allow him to simply do whatever he wants, and do it without ever really saying a word. The notably shy performer doesn’t tour, doesn’t interact and doesn’t listen to his music once it’s out – but Versions changed that.

As the desire to “right some wrongs” of his discography and revisit some old works with more matured ears grew, Henson decided to reach out a rare hand to his fans, asking them what songs they wanted to hear. With responses flooding in for songs Henson himself has forgotten, he realised that really, his fans were the “keepers” of his work, and that his music was perhaps more theirs than his.

Musically, that has led to a more polished and perfected album. Versions ties together Henson’s best lyrical efforts from across albums like Birthdays and Kindly Now and beyond, but draws them closer to his developed instrumental and compositional skill, reaching out to musical collaborators like Luke Sital-Singh, Hinako Omori, Dorry Macaulay and the Stockholm Studio Orchestra to work on them. While earlier works were predominantly made in isolation or with a tiny team, Versions benefits from the way Henson’s process has opened up over the years.

This album is his way of reaching out, and saying thank you to his fans.