What many people are saying
"Review: Americana songwriter wrestles with dark themes," Kyle Petersen, Free Times, 1/31/23
"A recent and vivacious voice in the local Americana scene, singer/songwriter Henry Luther excels at sharply witty and humorously bleak tunes in the vein of David Berman or John Prine, but with a more raucous, early Avett Brothers-type sound, and maybe with a touch of pop-punk impishness to boot.
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These songs thrive in front of an audience, and the between-song banter amplifies the power of Luther’s narrative perspective.
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Tunes like “I Love Liquor (But Liquor Don’t Love Me),” “Southern Cities” and “10 Beers Ago” are self-aware rather than celebrations of chemical dependency, something which extends to more personal tunes like “Breakup Song” and “Horry County Ballad.”
The net effect is a collection of songs that give the impression of a smart and talented screw-up who can’t get out his own way, except when he’s finding some sort of artistic salvation.
Hopefully Luther doesn’t have to live everything he sings about, or at least can keep his demons at bay. It would be nice to keep getting more songs [as good as these] down the line."
"Henry Luther LIVE AT FRESH BREWED," The Rocking Magpie, 2/7/23
"...I can’t even explain why I like it so much…. it’s ‘different’ is all I can say.
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I’m guessing I knew I’d like it right from the git go; with the razor sharp and pithy opening track The New National Anthem; which has all the hallmarks of a songwriter immersing themselves in Randy Newman’s back catalogue, and thinking … “I can do that!” and he does
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The key to these songs is the depth that Luther mines to create his little pearls of wisdom ….Southern Cities immediatly springs to mind; but as an amendment I’m including Horry County Ballads I &II which are about Luther’s home town; and as he sings ‘sometimes it’s the faded memory’ that he loves best of all; and isn’t that true of most of us who have moved away?
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The catchy toe-tapper I Love Liquor (But Liquor Don’t Love Me) is an obvious choice for me …. bringing back memories that I’ve had stored away for many a year; the other Beers Ago isn’t quite as black and white as the title would suggest; being as it is, a break-up song in the mode of RMHQ favourite Robbie Fulks …. who now I think about it is possibly an unintended influence on these songs …. as they won’t appeal to everyone; and Henry Luther doesn’t appear to give a damn …. just like Fulks."
https://rockingmagpie.wordpress.com/2023/02/07/henry-luther-live-at-fresh-brewed/
armondo podcast interview
