Ben Howard - Every Kingdom

Ben Howard - Much buzzed full length successor to the promising Old Pine debut EP delivers mesmerizing finger-picked modern folk from a 23-year-old Brit West Country singer/songwriter (and surfer)...ten track album was produced by Howard's bassist/ drummer Chris Bond in a converted barn studio in Devon // Release: Every Kingdom (October 4, Island U.K.) // Sounds like: Howard utilizes a knuckle-rapping percussive styled to his playing, a style that brings an interesting rhythmic tension to his songs... pioneering 70's folkie Martyn plays a big influence on Howard's stretched and bent vocals and his ability to weave a simple melody into an intricate tapestry of acoustic sound...

Quote: "...the first time I saw percussion on a guitar was a guy called John Smith who was playing the support at a John Martyn concert I went to. I remember seeing that and being a little spellbound..." // What we like: the plucked delicacy and slow-smoked vocal texture of EP track "Three Tree Town"...the swirling jangle of strings and slow build to the galloping finish of "Old Pines"...the jaunty, Mumford-and-Sons-styled pub-rock feel of "The Wolves"...

Ben Howard - "Old Pine" (from Every Kingdom)

Ben Howard - "The Wolves" (from Every Kingdom)