Henhouse Prowlers release ‘Unravel’

In their latest album Unravel, the Chicago-based band Henhouse Prowlers incorporates such classic bluegrass songs as “Honey Will You Be Mine?” and “Headin’ for a Heartache,” from which the album title is taken, while stretching the musical boundaries in ways that highlight their textured vocals and their stunning instrumentals.

Rather than sharing a blood harmony style, the distinct voices of the four members of band lend an individuality to the tracks. Each member sings lead on the album, while providing harmony born of performing together as a unit for the last five years, as the band found its ideal configuration. They all contribute to the songwriting for the album, taking vocal lead on the songs they wrote.

(photo by Lily Shea)

Guitarist Chris Dollar sings lead on the opening track “Look up to the Sky,” highlighting his vocal range and almost acrobatic movement up and down the lines. Jake Howard carries the lead on “Palomino” the following track and “Love and War,” with opening mandolin notes with almost a Spanish flair. The chorus, which repeats the axiom “All is fair in love and war,” bringing in full harmony is guaranteed to play on repeat in listeners’ heads long after the song ends.

Bassist Jon Goldfine has increased his songwriting prolifically since the last album, bringing dozens of songs to the table that he wrote or co-wrote, including the upbeat “Poor Boy Like Me,” one of the many tracks that showcase Jake Howard’s mandolin range, and two others co-written with Rick Lang.

“Line the Avenues,” released in time for Veterans Day was written by banjo player Ben Wright, inspired by photos, stories, and memorabilia shared with him by his grandfather, a WWII veteran. Wright sings lead on the song that examines the experiences of a soldier who “signed the dotted line” in 1941 and a female chopper pilot who joined in 1991. Each recalls each being told, “You’ll be a hero,” and remarking, “It was the right thing at the time.” The song closes with a shift to the perspective of the grandson as the WWII vet “shared what he’d been told he was fighting for.”

While recording the album Unravel, produced by Stephen Mougin at Dark Shadow Recording studio, Henhouse Prowlers left little to chance. They spent time choosing the songs that best fit the project and rehearsing long before entering the studio with obvious results.

One outstanding feature of the album is that all four instrumentalists are showcased. Each plays at the top of his game, none limited to simple rhythm. While some of the tracks diverge from traditional bluegrass, they emphasize the bands instrumental, lyrical and vocal versatility.

The single cover on the album, “Land of Confusion,” was released earlier this year and closes the album. Their treatment, with all the band members sharing the lead vocals, works so well, listeners may wonder why Genesis didn’t think of using banjos in 1986.

While Henhouse Prowlers sing about “wav[ing] goodbye to the good times [that are] about to unravel,” their album holds together masterfully, showing the range of this band that serves so well as Bluegrass Ambassadors.