Last Friday saw the release of ‘A Winter’s Night, the new single from Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage, who announced that they would be releasing their new album Ink of the Rosy Morning on April 1st via Topic Records, who they’ve just signed to (the last artist to sign to the iconic label was Rachael McShane & The Cartographers in 2018).
Watch the accompanying video for the single below, which the talented Rob Bridge filmed. On the surface, this Doc Watson number really suits a stripped-back delivery. Still, even here, while staying true to the original, Hannah and Ben deliver exquisite detail in their vocal harmonies and acoustic guitar interplay that really make their version shine. They make it look effortless, and their passion for the music comes through in the warmth of their delivery. On its own, it’s a gem, so expect their album to be filled with riches.
Ben on ‘A Winter’s Night’: I learnt this [song] from the inimitable Doc Watson. The opening imagery has always appeared so vivid and detailed in my mind’s eye. Sometimes you’re like an actor singing in the first person, but when I do that song, I am totally that person. I know exactly where I am, what the girl looks like and what I’m drinking…”
As mentioned last week, Hannah and Ben first graced these pages as a duo in 2016 with their debut album Before The Sun, followed by an even more accomplished collection in 2018 titled Awake.
Both Hannah and Ben’s musical ideals have been shaped by multiple styles and influences (from Hannah’s teenage years in a touring family band and a lengthy sojourn in America to Ben’s study of the dobro and successes playing with The Willows), exceptional songwriting skills and the array of instruments they can both turn their hands to. Yet way back, both had also been initially fired up by the music and culture of East Anglian folk clubs, and this was the music to which they instinctively gravitated. And thus, ‘Ink Of The Rosy Morning’ is a magnificently intimate and engaging successor to their previous albums.
Ink of the Rosy Morning was very nearly a different beast entirely. Before lockdown, they already had their third album almost ready to roll: finished tracks, guest artists and everything. Then the world changed. And so did their mindset. And with it, their music. “It was,” says Ben Savage hesitatingly, “liberating!”
Choosing instead to record in a quiet former schoolhouse by the sea in Hastings for a few days, they sat in the dining room, lit the fire, opened a bottle of wine, set up a few mics and played. Nothing pre-arranged. No grand scheme. No pre-production. No demos. No thought of releasing anything from it.
All of this makes what they emerged with, Ink Of The Rosy Morning, out April 1st, all the more extraordinary. Pre-Save the album here.
They are also on tour in March/April 2022; check out their dates here: https://www.hannahbenmusic.com/shows