Ken Hensley - Love & Other Mysteries

Ken Hensley Love & Other Mysteries cover
Ken Hensley
Love & Other Mysteries
Cherry Red Records
2012
7.5
Ken Hensley is a legendary keyboardist/songwriter… who has offered us amazing anthems throughout his great career with his first band Uriah Heep, his solo works, & with Blackfoot. He will always have a place among the best songwriters of Rock music of all time…
 
I was more than satisfied with “Blood on the Highway” which was released in 2007… it was a very balanced album with great rockers and beautiful ballads. Last year’s “Faster” was good as well. This time as the title reveals… “Love & Other Mysteries” is a more laid back album with many balladsque tunes. Ken is singing in five songs “(This) Bleeding Heart”, “Come to Me”“This House”“Walk Away” & “Eyes (The Girl in the Purple Dress)” while he has a bunch of wonderful guest vocalists including Glenn Hughes, Santra Salkova, Sarah Rope, Irene Forniciari & Roberto Tiranti, that accompany him in this album. The song arrangements are very good… the voices for each song are chosen carefully and the production is crystal clear and very smooth.
 
This is a very pleasant album from start to finish… I find myself listening to it all the way through as soon as I push “play”… but it’s not for all the times of the day. It will be better to play it after dusk (with a glass of red wine for yourself) and try to dive into its esoteric yet intense atmosphere. Ken has nothing to prove to anyone… he makes music from the heart to please himself and his friends/fans around the world. How can you go wrong with one of the best songwriters in rock history? Even if some of you find this album kinda smooth for your taste… you can’t escape the fact that the music quality of “Love & Other Mysteries” is not met so regularly, especially in our time…