The Henry Girls have the benefit of a lifetime of practice together.
By Colleen Taylor
The Henry Girls are at it again. To complete their theme of threes, the celebrated sister trio have released their third album, entitled “Far Beyond the Stars,” and many, including myself, have been won over again. This third album marks the apotheosis of the group’s creative maturity. The album may be less bouncy than some of their previous ones, but it’s entirely enchanting and eclectic in style. It really does take your imagination “far beyond the stars” to past histories, past stories, past worlds.
Donegal sisters Karen, Joleen and Lorna McLaughlin have been playing professionally since 2010, but they also have the added bonus of a lifetime of practice together, which accounts for their early career success. “December Moon,” their debut album, was very warmly received in Ireland and earned the Henry Sisters a spot on Huffington Post’s Top Ten Albums of 2013 (USA). Shortly after, in 2014, the sisters released “Louder than Words,” a bold encore to their debut album, which resulted in warm praise from critics in the UK, Ireland, and the USA (including from yours truly). “Louder than Words” pushed the boundaries of what Irish female singing groups can do. It makes a statement about the modern-day afterlives of jazz and the crossover between soul and Irish music.
Think Altan meets Dixie Chicks and you’ve got the Henry Girls. The style of these sister singers is easy and fluid. Karen, Joleen and Lorna easily cross the borders of acoustic folk, traditional Irish, Americana, jazz, and harmony vocal styles. There’s even a hint of pop rhythm in some of their earlier work. The most recent, “Far Beyond the Stars,” however, reflects a desire on the part of the sisters to scale back, to return to the roots of Donegal, folk, and the acoustic joys of a country ballad. It may not be done in as bold a manner as some of their previous work, but this album still does an immense amount of creative heavy lifting. The Henry Girls clearly have no interest in making the same album twice.
You can both feel and picture the influence of Donegal in this latest album. In addition to the album artwork, the lyrics have a mysterious preoccupation with the landscape—the lakes, the mountains, the rugged beauty of a place like Donegal. In fact, I find “Far Beyond the Stars” to be their most Irish-sounding yet. There are moments, such as in the song “Ocean of War” or “More Love, More Silence” which remind me directly of the Corrs. What’s more, the title track has a Celtic, new-age cadence, made slightly haunting by the sisters’ perfectly gorgeous harmonization.
What sets the Henry Girls apart from these other Irish and Donegal predecessors, like the Corrs or Clannad, is their multi-faceted Americana influence. The sisters pioneer cutting-edge Eirecana (or, Irish Americana) through their stylistic repertoire. “A Friend Like You,” for instance, may be one of their more simple songs, but it deftly evokes the American old folk sound while still staying modern. “Satisfied Mind,” a song originally recorded by American country singer Porter Wagoner, would ring true to any fan of old country music. It performs that easy country twang as well as any homegrown Americana tune.
The overall stylistic theme in “Far Beyond the Stars” may be more traditional, but several of the tracks still push the boundaries of Eirecana and even, at moments, spill over into jazz. “Don’t Call me Honey” is one of those Puppini-like bouncy hits made famous in their sophomore album “Louder than Words.” Here, the Henry Girls take the Americana straight over to ragtime and jazz. It may seem out of place in this album’s thematics, but it’s still absolutely infectious in beat and rhythm. “Don’t Call Me Honey” is my favorite on the entire album. But the most interesting song on the album is arguably “Rebel Girl”—a title with Irish allusions. The song takes what you would expect to be a traditional Irish rebel song and rewrites it with jazzy and American country flare.
“Far Beyond the Stars” is brimming with creativity. The three sisters’ delight in musical crossover results in delight for any listener. The album is a tour de force of old time American genres like old country, blues, jazz, and others. Ultimately, though, no matter how far those sounds and styles reach across the globe, the Henry Girls’ roots stay steadfast in Donegal.
Colleen Taylor's Music Notes column appears each week in the Irish Echo.
