This CD is really two short albums on one disc, with the first half featuring nine acoustic & full band vocal tracks ranging from sweet and mellow to smartassed and cynical, and the second half consisting of nine solo acoustic instrumentals.

18 MP3 Songs
ROCK: Acoustic, POP: Power Pop



Details:
Don Henderson is a guitarist/vocalist/songwriter from Huntsville, AL with one foot in the acoustic-rock/pop genre, and one foot in the solo acoustic instrumental style. His debut album "Shorter by the Second" consists of eighteen songs, evenly divided between those two styles. His songs cover territory ranging from post-college boredom and disappointment (âHappens to Everyoneâ, âFood Courtâ), to clever yet sincere celebrations of love (âRelax with Snacksâ, âBlame the Altitudeâ), to smart-assed self-analysis thatâll leave you smiling (âWhat Do I Knowâ, âPsych Bookâ).

Henderson is one of those rare songwriters who can play guitar as well as he writesâIn fact, his guitar work alone makes the CD a worthwhile listenâGive a listen to his crisp, Knopfler-esque lead work woven throughout âFood Courtâ, his speedy yet soulful solo on âFive Second Ruleâ, or the growling, gut-punch of a solo on âThrowawaysâ, and hear for yourself.

And thatâs not even counting the second half of the album, which features solo acoustic instrumental performances ranging from the lightning-paced virtuosic melodies of âLoopydanceâ and â12/3/97â to the simple yet beautiful fingerstyle work featured in âMaryâ and âOctober Perfectionâ.

If you ask Henderson about his musical influences, youâll probably want to pack a lunch. He can go on for hours if you let him: âIâm influenced in some way by just about everything Iâve ever heard. Every song rubs off on me a little, whether itâs a great song that makes me want to write something great myself, or itâs a clunker of a song whose value is that it shows me what not to do⦠hopefully (laughs). As far as my biggest influences go, Iâd say my songwriting style is shaped mainly by artists like Paul Simon, Barenaked Ladies, Mark Knopfler, Dave Matthews, The Police, U2, REM, The Beatles, Suzanne Vega, John Mayer, Violent Femmes, and at least two or three dozen other artists Iâm sure I draw from subconsciously depending on my mood when Iâm writing a song. As for my guitar playing, my style essentially came about from not being good enough at any one particular style to truly âmasterâ it. As a result, I think I have a style of my own that sounds like me, and has borrowed from enough different sources that they canât be traced. But if I had to name names, Iâd say the players I draw from most for inspiration would be Michael Hedges, Mark Knopfler, Monte Montgomery, Eric Johnson, Jimi Hendrix, Adrian Legg, Billy McLaughlin, Leo Kottke, and Dave Matthews. If you canât listen to those players and get inspired to create music, thereâs something wrong with your ears.

Henderson can be seen performing solo around the Huntsville, AL area, as well as with the recently formed Don Henderson Trio, which features Kim Coffey (percussion) and John Walker (bass).