English singer-songwriter Samm Henshaw's latest album, Untidy Soul is spectacular. It is everything I could want from him and encapsulates the years he's spent evolving his sound since his 2016 EP, The Sound Experiment 2, the first project I heard from the artist. Spanning about six years without a project was a series of enjoyable features and singles (some of which made it on Untidy Soul), so it's exciting to see a body of work from him.
There are no lackluster tracks on this project. Henshaw sews love, contentment, social change, and the intricacies of relationships in 40-minutes of soul and bursts of fun throughout. In this respect, he captures the simplicity of emotion and the sonic complexity of simple wishes. There is also an itch, if you will, to Untidy Soul that is exposed in the interludes and a number of the songs sprinkled throughout, each pointing to the hope to get back to the basics of love and the love of music.
There is always the worry that the best songs of a released album will be the pre-released singles. Despite several strong singles having already been released, such as "Thoughts and Prayers," "Grow" and "Chicken Wings," there are many songs on the album that blow these out of the water. It made for a pleasant surprise, namely, "8.16," and "East Detroit," which take the top spot for my favorite tracks from Untidy Soul.
"8.16" is this neo-soul-RnB blend that mixes Henshaw's style with D'Angelo and Marvin Gaye. With heavy use of sampling, a thick bass kick, and a catchy piano riff, he creates this love tune about making a relationship work that almost belongs in the '70s. "East Detroit" on the other hand is an electric, groovy, confident track where the lyrics and instrumental swirl together, forming a sonic picture of Henshaw's desire to hear the voice of his lover. In the chorus he sings, "Baby, it's 4 am in East Detroit, and I'll do anything to hear your voice. You're so lonely when your heart is broken, I was hoping we could talk it out. Maybe, we could talk it out." These are simple lyrics, but they are so potent! It proves that many times honesty is better than cleverness. This chorus easily became some of my favorite lines from the album. "Take Time (feat. Tobe Nwigwe)" and "Loved By You" also deserve honorable mentions. These are two of my favorite tracks as well with plenty to adore.
Untidy Soul is one of those albums you get on vinyl. It has a high replay value, it is lots of fun to listen through, and it never gets boring. If you start from the beginning of Henshaw's discography and listen forward, the evolution is inspiring. This album is proof of his growth and the establishment of his style.
