Carson Henley: One Singer You Won't Want to Miss

Seattle-based indie singer and songwriter Carson Henley recently released his second collection of rock and soul, “100 HOURS”—an all new collection of original songs from the up and coming purveyor of groove-based rock.

Self-described as a “refined Joe Cocker,” the young singer’s music is steeped in the rock, soul and R&B stylings of a slew of icons of popular music, many of whom predated his birth in their heyday. Cocker, Stevie Wonder and Steve Winwood, among others–all inhabit the soulful, driving compositions of the talented musician. Co-produced by Henley and Grammy –winning engineer Kory Kruckenburg (J. Tillman, Pickwick, The Maldives), “100 HOURS” was recorded at Seattle’s VU Recording Studios.

With the help of some musician friends including noted singer/songwriter Allen Stone, drummer James McAllister (Sufjan Stevens, Brandi Carlile) and backing vocals by his sister Tess Henley (currently working with The Roots), Carson pooled all of his resources budgeting just enough for a few studio days and giving himself 100 waking hours to write and record the entire album—basically leaping into the project with a handful of ideas and a determination to take his music to the next level.

With Grammy-winning engineer Brian Lucey (The Black Keys, The Shins) adding the final mastering touches, “100 HOURS” is an effortless slice of soulful rock for a new generation. “100 HOURS” is now available digitally from all major outlets and the CD is available at Amazon.

It’s not surprising that the multi-talented 26 year-old Henley has reached a whole new level of accomplishment with “100 HOURS”-- his second full length album. Inspired and driven since his debut in 2008, he’s honed his talent with nonstop performing (over 300 shows in the last two years) and utilized every opportunity to get his music heard.

Shows up and down the west coast have garnered raves and expanded his fan base. He’ s performed several times as an official showcasing artist to wide acclaim at the 2012 SXSW conference. His debut album “GREEN EYED SOUL” was named Top 25 CD of the Year by Indie Music in 2008.

Adding the self-imposed 100 hour restriction for his new album kicked Henley’s creative juices into high gear. With a stellar group of musicians and engineers backing him up, the process became a perfect storm of inspiration and execution. Local film director Brian Nunes was inspired to document the recording sessions and will be releasing it on DVD later this year.

“I wanted to push creativity to the limit and I knew the magic would come," states Henley. " We managed to create an environment that was both organically conducive to my writing process and unbelievably intense and rewarding at the same time."

You can hear the complete album “100 HOURS” via the SoundCloud Website. For more information about Carson Henley, visit him on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter.

Images Courtesy: Carson Henley on Facebook