Hendra (album)
| Hendra | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 14 April 2014 | |||
| Recorded | Berlin and London 2013 | |||
| Genre | Acoustic, downtempo | |||
| Length | 44:10 | |||
| Label | Unmade Road, under exclusive license to Caroline International | |||
| Producer | Ewan Pearson | |||
| Ben Watt chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[1] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [2] |
| The Guardian | [3] |
| The Line of Best Fit | 8/10[4] |
| Mojo | [5] |
| The Observer | [6] |
| Q | [7] |
| Resident Advisor | 4.0/5[8] |
| Rolling Stone | [9] |
| The Telegraph | [10] |
| Uncut | [11] |
Hendra is the second studio album released by the English singer, author and multi-instrumentalist Ben Watt on 15 April 2014 through Unmade Road, under exclusive license to Caroline International. The record is a collaboration with Bernard Butler and features a guest-appearance by David Gilmour on slide guitar and backing vocals on "The Levels".[12]
This is Watt's first solo album for three-decades since his 1983's debut, North Marine Drive.
During an interview in 2014, Watt stated the following regarding the album's title:
"My sister died just shortly after finishing my last book and it was a big shock. She’d led a very simple life as a shopkeeper at a simple village store and lived quite a claustrophobic life. Whenever she’d try to get away she went to this little house on the edge of Cornwall called Hendra. When she died I did some research on the name and found that it’s an old Cornish word for home. It had this odd lyrical quality to it. When I found the actual meaning it seemed like the perfect title for the record."[13]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Ben Watt.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hendra" | 3:22 |
| 2. | "Forget" | 5:13 |
| 3. | "Spring" | 3:55 |
| 4. | "Golden Ratio" | 5:13 |
| 5. | "Matthew Arnold's Field" | 4:31 |
| 6. | "The Gun" | 5:34 |
| 7. | "Nathaniel" | 4:46 |
| 8. | "The Levels" | 3:59 |
| 9. | "Young Man's Game" | 2:52 |
| 10. | "The Heart Is a Mirror" | 4:45 |
Bonus tracks (Deluxe Edition)
All tracks are written by Ben Watt.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 11. | "Hendra" (demo) | |
| 12. | "Spring" (demo) | |
| 13. | "Young Man's Game" (demo) | |
| 14. | "Forget" (live) |
References
- ^ "Hendra Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (14 April 2014). "Hendra - Ben Watt". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ Dennis, Jon (10 April 2014). "Ben Watt: Hendra review – excellent, decorous new set of alt-folk songs". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ Fletcher, Harry (21 March 2014). "Ben Watt - "Hendra"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ Hendra might deal with life's compromises, but there's no disappointment here. [May 2014, p.92]
- ^ Woodcraft, Molloy (12 April 2014). "Hendra review – Ben Watt's first solo album in 30 years". The Observer. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ The acoustic-leaning song-cycle Hendra presents mature reflections on memory and loss. [May 2014, p.120]
- ^ Clarke, Paul (1 June 2014). "Ben Watt - Hendra". Resident Advisor. Archived from the original on 23 April 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ Hunter, James (2 June 2014). "Hendra". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ McCormick, Neil (10 April 2014). "Ben Watt, Hendra, review". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 April 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ McKay, Alastair (25 April 2014). "Ben Watt – Hendra". Uncut. Retrieved 10 October 2025.
- ^ "Bennwatt.com newsitem" Official Website announcement of tracklisting and collaborators.
- ^ "Interview: Ben Watt on his album and tour with Bernard Butler | Nottingham Post". www.nottinghampost.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2022.