New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Missing Piece Group) After twenty years in
Everything But The Girl, ten years as a respected DJ and record label boss of Buzzin' Fly, Ben Watt has released Hendra, his first solo album in more than 30 years.
In celebration of the new release, Watt - accompanied by friend, album-collaborator and ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler - will head stateside for his first-ever solo performances in North America. Watt will headline Joe's Pub in New York City on June 11th and 12th followed by a performance at the Echoplex in Los Angeles on June 13th.
Hendra, which Watt describes as a "folk-rock record in an electronic age," has garnered the attention of outlets such as AV Club, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, IndieWire, and Paper Magazine.
In advance of its release, NPR
Music offered an exclusive stream of the entire album through their First Listen series, with an accompanying piece written by Ann Powers, in which she wrote: "Ben Watt is a master of detail and of quietude. Now, with his first solo album in 31 years, he has returned to highly cultured, intimate song craft."
The album was released today to critical acclaim. In The Guardian's 'The One Album You Should Hear This Week' feature, their main rock critic Alex Petridis said "As a demonstration of Watt's songwriting prowess, Hendra is pretty much perfect." Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times praised Hendra's "low-key relevance" saying it tells "intimate stories about memory and loss."
Additionally, the album received widespread 4 out of 5 star reviews in England including Mojo, Q, Uncut, The Guardian, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, Metro, The Evening Standard, and The Line of Best Fit.
Also to be released this year is Watt's memoir "Romany and Tom," which will be published by Bloomsbury in North
America this June. The Financial Times called the book "a poignant, life-affirming work." The Guardian said "Neither sentimental nor savage, yet often wise, moving and entertaining within the same paragraph, 'Romany and Tom' is a major achievement to rival any of Watt's recordings." Novelist John Niven added "Forget Morrissey: 'Romany and Tom' is the most beautiful, compelling memoir by a musician you'll read for a very long time."
US Tour Dates:
6/11/14: New York, NY - Joe's Pub
6/12/14: New York, NY - Joe's Pub
6/13/14: Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
Purchase links:
iTunes - https://smarturl.it/HendraiTunes
iTunes
Deluxe - https://smarturl.it/HendraDeluxeiTunes
Amazon CD - https://smarturl.it/HendraCD
Amazon
Deluxe CD - https://smarturl.it/HendraDeluxe
Twitter: twitter.com/ben_watt
Facebook: www.facebook.com/benwattmusic
Website: benwatt.com
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