Ken Hensley- "My book of answers?"

 

The man behind the keyboards for URIAH HEEP and BLACKFOOT at his final work. You just wait to listen to the characteristic sound of his keyboards to know its Hensley a man among the greats like Jon Lord and Keith Emerson. His legacy is enormous in the hard rock genre and generation. "My book of answers" is an album that oozes 70s, with fast pace songs, guitar/keyboard dwells and the quality hard rock we have been used to by Hensley. From the melodic opener "Lost (My guardian)" to the more catchy 'Right here ,right now" or "Suddenly"  the album is a journey to the isles of memories. Powerful hard rock with some radio /FM rock touches and some heavier moments signified by his voice and the keyboards that are everywhere, supporting and adding their characteristic sound.

 

 

 

The catchy chorus of "silent scream" with its modern sound shows another ,sometimes underrated aspect of Hensley, that of the songwriter. Dont we forget  he is the man who gave some of the most recognizable songs for the HEEP and certainly was responsible for the change of direction to most commercial paths for BLACKFOOT. The most interesting thing about this album is that the lyrics are inspired/based on poems by Russian poet Vladimir Emelin. So this maybe his last effort but also one showing that even at his 75 he was not afraid to try new things and challenge himself artistically."Stand " could easily be on a Leonard Cohen album but it is a Hensley effort. Let yourself enjoy an album that contains, poetry, melody and a man mature as person and musician at its best.

7,5