Fans of Hannah Sanders and Ben Savage will no doubt be thrilled to know that their new album Awake is nearing fruition. Their last album, Before the Sun, was so well received. In his FRUK review, Mike Davies declared it to be a “confident and impressive sophomore album that not only fully justifies past predictions regarding Sanders trajectory in the current folk field but also marks the arrival of a significant new duo force.”
The significance of them being a duo was touched on in Rob Bridges interview just prior to the release of Before the Sun when Hannah explained “I’m my best self when I’m singing, whether it’s to people or not. The lovely thing about sharing that with someone else is that the burden is lifted, so actually, rather than me having to worry so much about the ‘me-ness’ of the singing, this is more about just creating lovely sounds. We’re also very passionate about acoustic music, about how good it is for us in a world that’s constantly mediated. To still hear people singing and playing instruments…it still has the capacity to move us and resonate somewhere deep in us.”
That capacity to move your audience has always being a fundamental part of Hannah and Ben’s music and this comes across in both their music and personalities. They have just returned from Toronto where they’ve been making Awake which they believe to be their best work yet. Again they have turned to award-winning Producer/Engineer David Travers-Smith and they are adding colour to their duets with the aid of some of the “best musicians from both sides of the Atlantic giving the album a real transatlantic feel – double bass, pedal steel and some gorgeous vocals.”
They have also turned their attention to the artwork and have collaborated with renowned psychedelic artist Alan Forbes to design their album art, and photographer Rosie Hardy whose images are to accompany the album.
To help get them to their goal they have launched a Crowdfunding campaign which runs until 28 February. From signed CDs, Artwork, a cover song and even an Executive Producer credit there are lots of goodies on offer. Watch their campaign video below then pledge here:
https://www.hannahbenmusic.com/awakecrowdfund