Alana Henderson - Let This Remain

It has been a while since we last had music from Tyrone's favourite singer/songwriter/cellist, Alana Henderson. She first caught our attention back in 2013 following the release of her wonderful "Wax & Wane E.P", and was followed up by "Windfall", a collection of re-imagined versions of folk songs from the north of Ireland, which ended up nominated for the Northern Ireland Music Prize that year (losing to Robyn G Shiels).

Since then, most of her time has been taken up touring the world as a member of Hozier's live band, but now she's back releasing under her own steam, with "Let This Remain" being the first fruits to be borne. The song is a minimalist affair, with the song being carried along by an old synthesizer, a Roland drum machine, and of course the exquisite cello playing and vocals from Alana. It's a lot more electronic-driven and less classically-influenced that some of her previous output, and is both a welcome return and evolution for Alana Henderson.

"Let This Remain" is out now.

The Jepettos ft Alana Henderson & Scott Jamison - Water

Let's be honest. Who doesn't enjoy a lovely collaboration between three wonderful emerging artists from Northern Ireland? (A. Bores. Bores do not).

"Water" is a collaboration between Derry based lullaby-folk group The Jepettos, Alana Henderson, whose cello-pop sound really impressed at Glasgowbury, and Scott Jamison, who is better known as a member of Belfast disco-rockers Go Wolf. It's quite a nice collaboration, one which brings out different sides to each of the artists involved. The cello adds a certain amount of grit that was absent on The Jepetto's material to date, the harmony vocals of Matt & Ruth during Alana Henderson's verse adds a certain sweetness that hadn't been heard before in her material, whilst it's safe to say that no Go Wolf song before or after this will ever sound like "Water".

If this song marks a permanent collaboration between the artists, "Water" is a great starting point for now. If it is just a one-off, then it will stand on its own as a fine example of artists from three different perspectives coming together to create something beautiful.

"Water" is available on a pay what you like basis.

Alana Henderson - Wax & Wane E.P

The humble cello is a much underrated and maligned instrument in the world of non-classical music. Not as sweeping as the violin, nor able to conjurer up the smoky atmosphere of the double bass, the cello  is the string section's lost child in are far as popular music is concerned. It's probably the reason why Luke Haines never refers to The Auteurs' cellist by name in his wonderful autobiography Bad Vibes (instead referring him simply as "The Cellist").

But there are some great musicians out there who are looking to give the instrument the respect it deserves, like Belfast's Alana Henderson. Her debut E.P, "Wax & Wane", puts the cello firmly at the heart of the music. The E.P is one that is deeply rooted in transatlantic folk tradition, and one that is an absolute joy to listen to. Henderson has a voice that is so natural and filled with emotion that is somewhat hard to believe that this her first release. On top of that, her faultless cello playing adds a degree of variety to the sounds, be it the Laura Marling-esque musings of the title track, or the jazzy feel of the E.P's highlight "The Tower".

"Wax & Wane" is a wonderful debut release from Alana Henderson, and one which should lift her, and the cello, out of the shadows.