Keaton Henson announces album of reimagined songs, Versions

The eleven-track album features re-recorded versions of songs from across Henson's catalogue. The final songs were chosen based on a request sent out to Henson's fans asking which songs they would want him to revisit in his older, more experienced voice, leading him to invite collaborators across folk music, rock, classical and orchestral music to polish new versions of older songs.

Alongside the announcement, Henson shares new versions of "Prayer" from Henson's 2020 album Monument, and "Comfortable Love" from his 2016 album Kindly Now. "When talking to Erik at the Stockholm Session Orchestra about which tracks to work on with them, this one pretty much came up instantly," Henson says of "Prayer". "Obviously the original has a heavy leaning towards an orchestral sound at the end, but is mostly very stripped back before that. I was interested to see what happened if we elevated it with a grander sound throughout. I think the result is really interesting and felt a bit like borrowing someone else's hands to lift up the words that I felt not strong enough to carry when I first wrote them."

Discussing "Comfortable Love", he adds: "This was one of those songs I never felt I got right when recording the original version for Kindly Now, but if I'm honest it's just one of those many songs I put out and never looked back at. And by the time of making Versions I had pretty much forgotten it existed. But when it came up a few times in suggestions from fans I looked back at it and really wanted to have another look at it from a different angle, less abrasive and more from a simple more folk approach."

Versions marks a new chapter in Henson's relationship with his audience, which he describes as "the keepers of my work". The album features contributions from musicians Luke Sital-Singh, Hinako Omori, Dorry Macaulay and the Stockholm Studio Orchestra, allowing Henson to bring a more expansive and refined approach to songs that were originally created in isolation, leaning into the idea that no recording is ever definitive and can be subject to change based on the experiences of listeners.

Versions artwork

Versions tracklist

"Prayer (feat. Stockholm Studio Orchestra)"
"No Witnesses"
"Self Portrait (feat. Stockholm Studio Orchestra)"
"10am Gare du Nord"
"The Pugilist (feat. Stockholm Studio Orchestra)"
"Comfortable Love"
"You (feat. Dorry Macaulay)"
"Late To You"
"You Don't Know How Lucky You Are (feat. Stockholm Studio Orchestra)"
"To Your Health (feat. Hinako Omori)"
"If I'm To Die"