Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Caroline Francess ... again ...

Well, this little diamond I found. This absolute gem of an angel ... frum up north ! Sheffield to be precise, and she's a real show stopper.

I've said before that listening to her is like listening to an Original Sound Track, or a Disney film, maybe less frothy, but certainly as catchy and heart string tugging.

Effortlessly switching from humorous ditty to war poetry set to Andrew Lloyd Webber / Elton John solo piano.

I'll tell you something, Burt Bacharach once had a pet duck called Quack Quackarack ... that might not make any sense, but when you think about the combination of Bacharach's humour and genius songwriting, then see Caroline, it will all make sense.

Check her out 'Home' and 'Queen B' you'll be humming whilst washing the dishes or strolling through the park ... and then you think, "hey, she's a Sheffield Wednesday fan too" ... and hey Preston, Robert's your father's brother, and you've got one of my favourite artists right about now !!

Spread The Love, see you and her at my homecoming show in Leicester on Saturday night, gonna be good fun ...

Peace, Love & Tea, MHx
MattHenshaw.com

'Like' and follow 'Matt Henshaw Recommends ...' on facebook ...

Anywyn Williams, Caroline Francess, Lew Bear, Martin Luke Brown ... again ..., Josh Wheatley, Casino Empire, Elizabeth Cornish, The Strangler Figs, Sky Valley Mistress, Jesse Wright, Siobhan Mazzei, GEORGIE, Tapestry, The De Montfort University Gospel Choir, By The Rivers, Martin Luke Brown, Joy Mumford, Three Girl Rhumba, MotorMouf, Samuel Idwal, Abandon Her, Stef Baker, Emily Carr, Becky Edwards, James Byron, Mahalia, Mia & The Moon, Rosa-Leigh, AJA, Kate Rendell, Esther Van Leuven, East Midlands Girls, Ones to Watch for 2014, The Bobcats, Savanna Bones, Mattayoux, Matt Zara, The Simpletones, Charlotte Carpenter, Leah Sinead, Amii Dawes, Hib Word (House Of Verse), Matt Henshaw Recommends ...

---===DOWNLOAD LINKS===---
DOWNLOAD & STREAM 'YOUR EYES ARE MADE OF GOLD' NOW !!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/your-eyes-are-made-of-gold-ep/id904335049
https://play.spotify.com/user/11100320251/playlist/7CJI4WcomJKYozyujcN4hK
DOWNLOAD & STREAM 'ALWAYS IN THE WAY' NOW !!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/always-in-the-way-ep/id875188981
https://play.spotify.com/user/ilsonowl/playlist/2tHGjyz7EpEZpvgc8HpuRm
DEBUT 'IT AIN'T EASY/MY LIFE - EP' !!!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/id814589358
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aint-Easy-My-Life-EP/dp/B00I8ZDJZC/
https://play.spotify.com/album/733AAcf7c2KcZ75SUFlpi3
'EASIER' OUT NOW !!!
'Easier' Official Video - https://goo.gl/ynTayr
iTunes - https://goo.gl/9r5341
Spotify - https://goo.gl/OTLXaV
GooglePlay - https://goo.gl/JVvd5r

Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Anwyn Williams

Bumper recommendations, twice in one day, and I can't escape these beautiful Welsh named women ! I'm even lumbered with one in my house ...

Anyhoo, right, Anwyn Williams is without a doubt one of the friendliest, loveliest, most warmest faces you're ever likely to meet on a night out in Nottingham, and a voice of golden silk.

Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Elizabeth Cornish

Here I go recommending again, this time a beautiful soul, one of the most heartfelt and passionate troubadours I've come across. Massively excited to say that the lovely Elizabeth Cornish will be joining me at the Cookie, Leicester for my show on Saturday 20th September, and what a talented little lady she is.

I bought her album 'Displaced' a few months ago to accompany me driving around the country this festival season, and it's been a wonderfully wistful companion soundtracking my journeys. And it's all the more pleasing when I bought the CD from her cash in hand, her adorably modest demeanour said "are you sure you want to buy one, they're quite expensive?!"

No regrets, what a purchase ! The opening 5 songs melted my heart straight away. Track one 'Tears with Tea' wins on that title alone, but when you listen through the delicate, intricate web of emotions and platitude of honest raw confessional lyrics you can only be left uplifted, heartbroken and endeared to Elizabeth's tacit charm.

The title track 'Displaced' had me itching to let of the steering wheel and learn the chords right away, and I'll be honest, 'Saint' almost had me in tears, if you've ever felt love, in love or part of an unconditional love you'll know exactly what I mean.

More people should feel the heartbeats pumped into this record, more people should hear Miss Cornish sing, and more people should know her name, you should start by coming out to see her with myself on Saturday 20th September Live @ The Cookie in Leicester along with The Strangler Figs and the De Montfort University Gospel Choir ...

Peace, Love & Tea, MHx

The Strangler Figs
Sky Valley Mistress
Jesse Wright
Siobhan Mazzei
Georgie Rose
Tapestry
The De Montfort University Gospel Choir
By The Rivers
Martin Luke Brown
Joy Mumford
Three Girl Rhumba
MotorMouf
Samuel Idwal
Abandon Her
Stef Baker
Emily Carr
Becky Edwards
Mahalia
Mia & The Moon
Rosa-Leigh
AJA
Kate Rendell
Esther Van Leuven
East Midlands Girls
Ones to Watch for 2014
The Bobcats
Savanna Bones
Mattayoux
Matt Zara
The Simpletones
Charlotte Carpenter
Leah Sinead
Matt Henshaw Recommends ...

---===DOWNLOAD LINKS===---
DOWNLOAD & STREAM 'ALWAYS IN THE WAY' NOW !!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/always-in-the-way-ep/id875188981
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/always-in-the-way-ep
https://play.spotify.com/user/ilsonowl/playlist/2tHGjyz7EpEZpvgc8HpuRm
DEBUT 'IT AIN'T EASY/MY LIFE - EP' !!!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/id814589358
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aint-Easy-My-Life-EP/dp/B00I8ZDJZC/
https://play.spotify.com/album/733AAcf7c2KcZ75SUFlpi3
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.emusic.com/album/matt-henshaw/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/14753983/
http://www.7digital.com/artist/matt-henshaw/release/it-aint-easy-my-life
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.napster.co.uk/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep

Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Sky Valley Mistress

Feel like I've been a bit neglectful with the blog of late, and it feels like I've been neglecting a child. So, this week I think I'm gonna bring you a whole load of recommendations. And I hope you've seen I've been busy as a worker bee in the meantime. But let's get on with it, I hope you're ready to get some groovy rockin' on with ... Sky Valley Mistress.

These just might be the heaviest thing I've recommended, but I gotta tell ya, I saw them live and they blew me away. And they might just be the furthest afield band I've written about. Hailing from Lancashire this female fronted rockin' four-piece have been down the East Midlands a few times, and are seriously putting the work in getting around the country and spreading their wings, flying out of the little Northern town of Darwen, Blackburn's little sister.

Maximum respect to them for grafting, writing proper tunes, and packin' some groove in with rockin'. Talented musicians, and a vocal punch, and they're seriously cool. As anyone who might know me would tell you that when music gets any heavier than Led Zeppelin, I'm out. This lot get it just right, just for me and the competent nods towards Jack White's erstwhile output gives you an indicator of their musical influence, above all they're damn good.

I saw them first at The Shed in Leicester and drummer Max handed me a card with a kind of QR code on it that I took home, scanned and it linked me to their video, 'The Day of the Lion', and it is cool as the proverbial f-word, and stars, as it turned out my almost sister-in-law, just highlighting how serendpitously beautiful 2014 has been so far. We're all connected, us beautiful and positive people.

So, here you go, get some Dirty Blonde Blues down yer neck and enjoy ... talk tomorrow, Peace, Love & Tea, MHx



Jesse Wright
Siobhan Mazzei
Georgie Rose
Tapestry
The De Montfort University Gospel Choir
By The Rivers
Martin Luke Brown
Joy Mumford
Three Girl Rhumba
MotorMouf
Samuel Idwal
Abandon Her
Stef Baker
Emily Carr
Becky Edwards
Mahalia
Mia & The Moon
Rosa-Leigh
AJA
Kate Rendell
Esther Van Leuven
East Midlands Girls
Ones to Watch for 2014
The Bobcats
Savanna Bones
Mattayoux
Matt Zara
The Simpletones
Charlotte Carpenter
Leah Sinead
Matt Henshaw Recommends ...

---===DOWNLOAD LINKS===---
DOWNLOAD & STREAM 'ALWAYS IN THE WAY' NOW !!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/always-in-the-way-ep/id875188981
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/always-in-the-way-ep
https://play.spotify.com/user/ilsonowl/playlist/2tHGjyz7EpEZpvgc8HpuRm
DEBUT 'IT AIN'T EASY/MY LIFE - EP' !!!
https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/id814589358
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Aint-Easy-My-Life-EP/dp/B00I8ZDJZC/
https://play.spotify.com/album/733AAcf7c2KcZ75SUFlpi3
http://matthenshaw.bandcamp.com/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.emusic.com/album/matt-henshaw/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep/14753983/
http://www.7digital.com/artist/matt-henshaw/release/it-aint-easy-my-life
http://www.rhapsody.com/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep
http://www.napster.co.uk/artist/matt-henshaw/album/it-aint-easy-my-life-ep

Matt Henshaw Recommends ... Emily Carr

When you walk into a pub, order a pot of tea and take a seat, place you Wednesday scarf and coat on the back of your chair, take a sip and watch some open mic acts you're not usually expected to be overly impressed, but in Leicester, where there's seemingly an open mic night every night of the week you might just be surprised from time to time.

I went down a Wednesday night show just south of the city centre hosted by The Simpletones and was knocked out by the talent. I've seen Matt Zara, Kate Rendell and Becky Edwards down at the Cradock open mic nights from Little & Large, and loads more acts that I'm sure I'll share with you another time, but this time around I'd like to shine a light on Emily Carr ...

Emily was seemingly shy, although everything about her makes you want to shout and point and exclaim how great she is. Carrying the weight of the 2010s, as all teenagers do in the decade they leave school, Miss Carr is strikingly visual and has a voice that nabs your attention puts it in a box and let's it float upstream.

I like guitars, I love Emily's guitars, maybe it's because they're blue and white, maybe it's because they're exceptional pieces of wood, or maybe it's because she plays them wonderfully, either way it warms the cockles of my heart, and I'm sure the way she sings and plays will cheer you too.

Matt Henshaw Recommends ... AJA

Ok, so who doesn't like a bit of crazy in their ladies? No one, that's who. I had the sincere pleasure and privilege to play with our AJA on my second show of the year. Nottingham's own electro wizardess. Unassuming, unpredictable and unbound or chained by musical genre, stereotype or prejudice. AJA weaves in and around the music like a free ethereal being. She's got soul in her bones and it's amazing she can generate it from the cold digital mechanics of a laptop, loop and effects pedal.

Before returning to my comfort zone of an acoustic guitar and vocals I made my own musical expedition, an esoteric voyage through the world of alternative beats and flavours, and I'm glad I did. Listening to AJA is so much more rewarding if you've school yourself in the intricacies of Bjork's, Beck's and Moby's back catalogue. Don't worry though if you haven't, there's still entry for all into AJA's world of positive psychedelic vibrations.

An accomplished DJ and songstress the room is filled nigh on all night with colour, sounds and shapes. An modern 24 hour technicolour dream beckons, so if I was to throw a party, after-party or hire a boat for some close friends, sail out to international waters and be as debauched as a libertine after lent I'd give AJA a call and get her behind the decks.

Have a listen, liven up your weekend ...



But, don't you ... forget about me ...