Following music today could be defined as the search for that which is not hollow. Weary fans all too often stumble upon a seemingly substantive artist and optimistically knock on his or her surface, only to hear a resoundingly empty echo come from inside. For those disheartened seekers of the genuine, Helen Horal brings a striking simplicity to the table. Her voice has been compared to Sarah McLaughlin's and Tracy Chapman's, but it has a thoughtfulness and earnest passion all its own. Her lyrics are mysterious, but terribly poignant, grasping the listener with veiled truths. With merely her guitar and voice, she consistently evokes more emotion from listeners than any glitzy production full of vocal acrobatics. With the production team of Jon Wilkins (Summer Blanket, The Freakin Hott) and Christopher Moll (See Venus, timewellspent) Helen's first full-length release, There Is Only This Place, captures the surprising maturity (for someone so young) and profound songcraft of an artist in the genesis of her career. Combined with the instrumental influences of the Beach Boys, Sondra Lerche, and Björk, There Is Only This Place is a classic freshman effort of wonderful things to come. most would argue she's already arrived.
Horal reentered the studio in the summer of 2006 with intentions of releasing her second full-length record in the spring of this year. Coming down from winning Boyd Tinsley (Dave Matthews Band) and Bruce Flohr's (Red Light Management, ATO Records) songwriting contest (First Amendment Writes), she is working with the brilliant minds (and ears) of James McLaughlin (Sesshin), Daniel Clarke (Modern Groove Syndicate), Darrell Muller (Old School Freight Train), Sam Wilson (Sons of Bill), Tucker Rogers (Man Mountain Jr.), Andy Thacker (High Society), and Anne Marie Calhoun (DMB, Jethro Tull) at Mountainside Studios in Charlottesville, Virginia, where the record is truly beginning to come to life. 2007 is going to be an exciting year!
