Samm Henshaw
The Sound Experiment
25 September 2015, Sony
Before I could write anything, I had one question about Samm Henshaw that needed to be resolved. Why is it that he spells his name as he does? Of what significance is that extra “m”? I went about finding an answer to this query in the same way that I go about answering many important life questions, I asked Urban Dictionary. Suddenly, it all became very clear. Urban Dictionary claims that adding another “m” to the popular name Sam makes it “cool and original”. That’s all you need to know about Samm Henshaw, he is cool and original.
Samm Henshaw has had great acclaim in the months upcoming his highly anticipated Debut EP entitled, The Sound Experiment. I can only add to this. Having already played Wireless and Parklife this summer and been handpicked by James Bay for tour support, Samm is definitely one to watch. Anyone who can add soul to One Direction’s ‘Best Song Ever’ has to be extremely talented.
“empowering melodies meet the messages of breaking boundaries, creating our own laws and having our voices heard”
The introductory track ‘Temptations’ is a short but pertinent track on the EP. It quickly demonstrates the fusion of style that is neo-soul. The track has clear R&B influences, whilst also tackling some religious subject matter and featuring spoken word/rap. The Sound Experiment journey continues in the next track, ‘Autonomy’. The power of Samm Henshaw’s voice is unleashed in this song as the pace builds and builds. Gospel influences become apparent as the music swells to a climax at several points in the track, with empowering melodies meeting the messages of breaking boundaries, creating our own laws and having our voices heard.
‘Redemption’ is full of 1970s style soul. Opening with the line “If I die today, would that be the only way to end this kind of pain” and closing with the raw plea, “I’m searching for redemption… for my weary soul”. The layered arrangement of voices in the song creates a varied texture as the voices merge with the instrumentation to create an exhilarating build. Samm Henshaw’s voice jumps from stunningly gentle whispers to an explosive grit in the blink of an eye, giving this track a raw, and stripped-back tone.
“Henshaw’s voice jumps from stunningly gentle whispers to an explosive grit”
The next two ballads ‘Better’ and ‘Only Wanna Be With You’ continue to blend Henshaw’s warm tones with a gritty husk that defines his individual sound. ‘Better’ is a slow building ballad that is completed by the falsetto backing vocals that make this track stand out. Meanwhile ‘Only Wanna Be With You’ is an uplifting ballad trapped in a moment of realising love. The final track on the EP has to be my personal favourite. The call and response between Samm and his female backing vocalists and the sheer energy makes the song rousing and thrilling. ‘Everything’ is a track that proves that Samm Henshaw is providing us with a progressive interpretation of soul music.
Samm Henshaw has the talent to update a classic genre and the confidence to cover some thought-provoking questions such as, “tell me why our voices cannot be heard?”, “Can I find somebody, anybody, with a bit of integrity?” and finally, dealing with topic of temptation in a more light-hearted way, “her eyes were pretty and such, but is it worth the loss of semen?”. This is what Samm Henshaw brings to neo-soul, he deals with profound and soulful subjects but in a playful way. In his Sound Experiment, he updates soul music with welcoming arms to R&B and hip-hop.
Ciara Sutton