Ken Hensley – Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf

Alright, well. I recently commented questioning why Hensley wasn't the lead vocalist in Uriah Heep. Maybe cuz Byron, Lawton, etc. would've been out of a job. JK... To the music.
A few months ago I likely would've given this 4/5 stars, thinking that it was very good, yet not perfect. Still, the songwriting quality is shocking for a guy who wrote SO MUCH for Heep. I would've thought he would run out of jams for his own solo work. That definitely did not happen. Ken Hensley's writing is simple, yet remarkable for how quickly he can turn a plodding instrumental into a soaring and memorable song. Heep fans know that this is exactly what he did within the band. Being the lead songwriter and catalyst, adding touches that transformed songs from good rock songs to majestic hard prog opuses. If you need an example, take the classic "Sweet Lorraine" from Magician's Birthday, and listen to what his keys do to make that song explode and scream out of the speakers. Or during the Lawton era, when Ken's keyboard flourishes on the Innocent Victim album defined tracks like "Flyin' High" or the beautiful, "Illusion". On so many Heep tracks such as these, Hensley had to come up with a truly memorable keyboard line or composition to be able to stand out in a group that had so many talented musicians. The fact that you can even notice his parts in songs when simultaneously, Mick Box is shredding or Byron is wailing is truly a mark of his genius. On "Proud Words", Ken Hensley no longer has to "shout" so to speak. Focusing the album on a much more stripped-back instrumental approach allows Hensley to shine his songwriting chops without having to worry about any competing or distracting elements.
Even more importantly, the stripped-back stylings allow for Hensley to access a musician-to-listener intimacy that was rarely, and quite possibly, never tapped into with Uriah Heep. While a huge chunk of Uriah Heep's music could serve as fun party, boogie, stadium-rocking music, Hensley's work on "Proud Words" is serious, introspective, and heartfelt. That's not to take anything away from either, as each scratches a different musical itch. It's that intimacy that propels this work over any album Uriah Heep ever made. Yes, that's just my opinion, and likely an unpopular one, but as of July 18, 2021, I like this Hensley solo album more than any of the handful of great Heep albums.

Additional: I've now bought 3 copies of this album this summer. First a UK press on Bronze, then the U.S. on Mercury, and the other day I found a German pressing on Island for $1 at a local smoke shop.

Maybe this is a dumb question, but if anyone knows tell me plss: Why was Ken Hensley not the lead vocalist for Heep (at least after David Byron) ?????? Was he not comfortable with that role, or did they just want a more charismatic singer? I find that while he may not be the most energetic vocalist, he is super consistent and doesn't overshadow the instrumentals. He lets the band shine. At leats on this album