There was something really exciting about putting on this record, this behemoth, 45-song rock opera prepared by the San Diego collective Mrs. Henry. An excitement to discover the musical range that could justify the length of the album, and the number of musical creations collected within. I was excited to discover if Mrs. Henry could pull off this astonishing feat, or if they were another deeply ambitious outfit that fell just a little bit short of expectations.
Now Mrs. Henry, while not being a household name, are a rather established rock outfit with a distinct sound and a defined lineup, with a twist. Based in San Diego, California, Mrs. Henry have rocked audiences all the way throughout Mexico, across America, and all the way to Canada’s farthest reaches. They tour as either the hardworking quintet that they are, or with alter egos that they use to play their livelier anthems on stage, alongside officially sanctioned covers of songs by the legendary The Band, the mythical outfit that gave the world such timeless classics as ‘The Weight’ and ‘Up on Cripple Creek’. Mrs. Henry was given the blessings of The Band’s founder Robbie Robertson to sanction The Band’s immortal legacy before he passed away.
Now onto Keep on Rising. Mrs. Henry’s latest album is a delightfully tight -but massive- rock opera in three acts. An effort that showcases probably every single chop the outfit’s quintet have acquired throughout their years in music, Keep on Rising is an album that sounds astonishingly nice with great mixing, a torrent of fresh musical ideas that prove time and time again the longevity of rock as a genre, and the collective brilliance of 5 deeply talented individuals reigning supreme over their craft. A band with 3 frontmen, Daniel Cervantes sings and plays guitar, Jody Bagley sings and plays the keys, and Blake Dean sings and plays bass, alongside them we have multi-instrumentalist Ben Pinnola, and drummer Alan Ritter. The group’s sound is deeply rooted in the purest form of rock. distorted, energy-filled riffs, anthemic, gritty voices, and a plenty of attitude, treated with a fair bit of operatic flair, the songs on this sprawling release have an unmistakable sense of drama to their intricate compositions and general outwardness.
The group starts the album on a more conventional approach, after a Gregorian-style chant intro that bears the name of the album which quickly descends into the menacing, odd-time riff of ‘A Time Like This’, a properly superb introduction to a rock opera. A song loaded with a litany or riffs, tones, rhythms, and sheer vocal prowess from the band’s impressive vocal lineup showcasing their chemistry on full swing, ‘A Time Like This’ is a song that showcases Mrs. Henry’s creativity in building a song with a collection on distinct riffs that pour into one another like honey. Following up is simply brilliant ‘We Are A Rock N Roll Band’, a song that sees Mrs. Henry embracing their Bon Jovi roots with an infectious hype, a nostalgia for the heyday of hard rock, and a massive scale of flamboyance. The band then takes a honky-tonk detour on ‘Back in the Beginning… A Kid at Heart’, before going all out rock n roll with the Stones-evoking ‘Bye, Bye, Baby’. A song that brings to mind the lush and fulfilling rock soundscapes of the Rolling Stones, blending them with riffage that’s reminiscent of the more glam side of Late 70s Led Zeppelin, ‘Bye, Bye, Baby’ is easily one of the album’s earlier stand out songs.
The band shows first signs of conceptualism with the sleazy ‘Doing It Right’ and its puzzling segue into the space funk groove of ‘I Don’t Want To Let You Go’. A refreshing rhythmic shift connects those two miles-apart cuts in one of the album’s first instances of connecting songs with seamless shifts, a trick the band will prove to be quite skilled at as the album progresses. The songs themselves are quirky, with ‘Doing It Right’ heralding a dirty and slinky keyboard riff that eventually descends into a controlled, low-burning chaos which coalesces into the drum break that brings in the fantastic organ part of the second song, which is in turn more conceptual, weaving together lines of Japanese funk with space rock. After the greasy, stoner rock anthem ‘Back in the Grease’, the band delivers one of the album’s tightest rock anthems until this point, ‘Crash & Burn’. Calling to mind one more of Led Zeppelin less appreciated masterpieces, Physical Graffiti’s ‘In The Light’, this song blends together behemoth riffs and frontman showmanship with hushed, syncopated, and leering sections that are a testament to the band’s superb control of dynamics and pace, as they hush lighter and softer before bouncing back to somehow hushing loudly. An absolutely fantastic piece of song building that warrants a distinct, 8-second interlude afterwards, titled ‘A Moment of Silence’, delivering exactly that.
‘A Moment of Silence’ is just as much an anticipation of what comes next. ‘The Sex Sells, Love Drugs, Rock N Roll Society’ is a 6-minute opera in and of itself. With a plethora of ambitious riffs and an ample blend of venomous moods, this song is definitely one of the album’s landmark pieces. The softer sections, based upon the piano and a twisting bass part are specifically delightful, and the song’s main, descending motif, delivered via menacing, overdriven guitars, never failed to be impactful throughout the song’s lengthy runtime. In the midst of all the musical brilliance, the lyrical content seems to disappear behind the sheer magnificence of the vocal arrangements themselves. The voices are enchanting, with 3 and 4-voice harmonies becoming the norm early on during the album, harmonies that are rich and beautifully written, almost consistently adding value to the musical tapestry unfolding.
‘The Sex Sells…’ is special, but what comes next is far more special, with the band going full psychedelic, with experimental noises, ambience, and songwriting on a grander scale that’s more akin to the progressive rock operas Pink Floyd pulled off in the early 70s. The Combo of ‘Delivery Room of the Morning Sun’, and the 6 songs unfolding afterwards are conceptually sound and musically nuanced enough to be an album on their own. ‘Delivery Room of the Morning Sun’ is a piano-led, eerie instrumental that utilizes guitars that weep and holler, as well as make alien noises, to create a harrowing effect of desolation that eventually grows to add desperation and loneliness to the mix, as the ominous riff starts, then heaves fully into view, blocking away the half-comforting piano presence that defined the piece’s first half. The military snare marsh then abruptly heralds in the fanfare mania of ‘Here I Am’, one of the album’s most challenging pieces to define. After an earth-shattering intro, the song shapeshifts, then shapeshifts again, making use of horror-inspired vocal processing alongside guttural screams that are just intentionally frightening. ‘Here I Am’ might be one of the album’s most out-there songs, and I’m all for it.
‘The Words of the Prophets on Wall 1 & 2’ with ‘In The Land of Nothing Matters’ falling square in between, deliver a solid punch that introduces a flair of punk, glam, and thrash into the mix. ‘In The Land of Nothing Matters’ in particular is a very lively bit that uses vocal howls to their full impact, as the atmosphere around them grows more manic and thunderous by the second… it is miraculous how the band managed to get the energy down just enough to deliver ‘Words of the Prophets on Wall 2’ with what is basically the same riff that was used to raise literal hell mere seconds ago. A 3-song punch up that’s quite astonishing, but the fun is not over yet. ‘Fate Vs. Faith’ can be called the piece’s guitar solo. After a minute where all hell breaks loose, with guitars and drums losing their minds in unison, the band then introduces a valiant riff that concludes the madness, brings us back to the comfort of the familiar piano arpeggio from ‘Delivery Room…’ and starting ‘Born Again (I Believe)’, the final act of this mini-opera. Hopeful, grandiose, dusty, weird, and beautiful, ‘Born Again (I Believe)’ is one of the album’s most standout pieces, and a fantastic conclusion to a sublimely bold run.
By the end of the last mini-opera, and approaching the midpoint of the album, Mrs. Henry shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. ‘It’s Okay’ is a whimsical and grandiose piano ballad, exceptionally sweet with its arrangement and general softness, wailing guitars and woodwinds, the mammoth beat that enters roughly halfway through the song, too slow and too big in scale to be anything usual. It is one of the album’s gentlest and most reassuring ballads. ‘It’s NOT Okay’ follows. An instrumental with a guitar-driven first half, the composition is lively and emotive, and the overdrive on the lead guitar is just plain succulent. An experimental interlude abruptly hits with what seems to be an alarming conversation between brothers and their father that ends just as suddenly as it started, reintroducing the song’s unforgettable motif, with the added benefit of organs and additional theatrics. A dramatic affair that bookends an incredible section of psychedelic, experimental, and wholly engaging prog.
‘Find A Circle (It’s a Wonderful Feeling)’ sounds like it resides on its own, in a totally separate plane of existence than what preceded it. With cheerful claps, mandolins, country slide guitar, and a major key progression that would belong on a kid show theme song, ‘Find A Circle…’ is a song perfectly arranged to break apart the cloud of seriousness that loomed over the record for most of its length up until this point with positive vibes, gleeful group vocals, and a litany of chirpy little musical cues that add so much to the song’s lively, honky, and tonky atmosphere. But as quickly as the lightheartedness started, it ended with ‘Tell Me a Story… Action! Action!’. A weepy, organ-led little tearjerker that drips potent melancholia which magically shapeshifts into a fiery riff that kick starts the next song over, the brilliantly titled, and Pink Floyd-styled ‘The Tall Tell Tale of The Three Little Pigs’. Slinky funk keys and uber-charismatic and manic vocals, this rhythmically twisted little cut is another testament to the group’s sheer talent of weaving seemingly impossible-to-connect threats into tapestries that are quite compelling to gawk at. The sonic colors of this song are simply some that I have never experienced before, and again, I am all for it.
‘Here Comes Your 21st Century Rising Star’ is the first song explicitly revolving around the album’s main protagonist, and the triumphant, Queen/Muse-esque ascending, operatic rock is exceptionally infectious. ‘It’s Never Too Late… For An Overture!’ is an anthemic, solo piano part that says so much with its bold chord movements and the stark rhythmic shift that happens around its middle. An intricate piece. ‘Everybody Wants Peace and Love’ heralds a bass and drum groove that could melt paint off the wall. With minimal vocal input or musical variance, this piece is one of the album’s most hypnotic grooves, and with the sudden vocal interjections and a short drum solo, the hypnosis takes a particularly sweet route on this pop/rock/reggae/funk fusion masterpiece. After a pair of blazing rock n roll cuts, the sullen and striking piano ballads return with ‘Faith and Fate’. This time with leanings towards the flamboyant guitar work of Elton John and the vocal charisma of Bowie, ‘Faith and Fate’ sounds delightful with its long-winded melodies and belted vocals. It is a quite an impactful composition that strikes the intended chords with amazing gracefulness.
Rock opera makes a return after a short pause with ‘We’re Gonna Win’. A Floyd/Queen fusion that is driven forward by a rampaging waltz, a few terrific and valiant-sounding riffs. Also, that title, is it too similar to ‘We Will Rock You’ by accident? We’ll let you decide. ‘Hope, Keep On Rising’ is the album’s last grand entry, and probably one of its finest, tightest, and most nuanced. With operatic choirs, piano and guitar interplay, and a sprawling songwriting affair, ‘Hope, Keep On Rising’ is everything the radio needs but doesn’t deserve. A dynamic, driving piece of rock music with a stampede of drum grooves, howled, harmonized voices, and riffs. The group finishes off with ‘Peace, Love, Rock N Roll’, rich with its piano strikes and cheered group vocals and hasty tempo, it is an outro that wafts the album to its conclusion with panache, style, and a break-neck pace.
Not only is Keep on Rising a distinguished statement of boldness on the part of the San Diego quintet, it is also an impeccably executed one. Not for a minute throughout the album did I feel bored or not at least a little curious as to how some of the sounds were made. With a 45-song album, there are bound to be songs that are better than others, and it is Mrs. Henry’s astonishing confidence and musicianship that make even the album’s less shiny moments well worth paying attention to. Sitting through such a massive album was a time and energy-consuming task that I genuinely did not expect to enjoy as much as I did. Keep on Rising will indeed have something for right about everybody out there.
