KEN HENSLEY – The Last Dance

I will not judge this album upon what Ken Hensley did in the seventies. Former Uriah Heep-member Hensley does not make hard rock any longer, and whatever he makes of music it will never be as important as those classic Heep-hits he once wrote a lot of.

The Last Dance is not about showing off. If you are looking for an album with a lot of attitude, look somewhere else. Hensley tries with The Last Dance to share his soul. In a mellow way. He has put his heart into the lyrics, and he has made a neat set of composition. And, he has got the help he needs to record them from a fine group of musicians. However, he doesn’t quite succeed in make an album that will engage or affect you a lot. It just gets too soft and harmless. Even though songs like “Give Me A Reason” has a certain charm, this is an album that soon will be forgotten. ( Well, don’t be surprised if you one day get to hear these songs, played low, in a pub somewhere not very urban… )

Ken Hensley is trying hard to touch his listeners, but as a record The Last Dance becomes too poor on originality to be noticed. Live, several of these songs sure will manage to make the audience, probably most people in their 40’s and 50’s, both weep and laugh. The Last Dance distributes a lot of both melancholy and happiness.

“Dancing” is the album’s most up-tempo track. Most of the others are pretty slowed down. There’s a good share of ballads to be find here. Sometimes it gets a bit out dated and embarrassing, e.g. I Know Who You Are and The Voice Of Love (from 1985). These songs just get too cliche.

The album also contains a kind of Christmas song, Did You Know ( A Lullaby For Jesus ). Incredible risky! But why not!… If someone’s faith in Jesus makes them want to sing about it, they should have the same right as those in rock who over and over again market the devilish powers of Hell and everything evil.

Ken Hensley recorded his first solo album in 1973. All together he’s been recording 43 album, solos or as a band member ( e.g. as a part of Blackfoot after Uriah Heep ). The Last Dance will probably not be his last effort. I won’t be surprised though, if this kind of soft rock will be what he’ll continue to make. It sounds like he’s enjoying what he’s doing. I am sure a lot of his oldest fans, those not that much into hard rock any longer, will continue to buy his releases and go to his shows for a long time.

One word about the cover sleeve: Photos of half naked young girls sell records, half naked 50 year old men does not! If don’t have some pretty girl to dress off for the cover shot, you shouldn’t step in yourself.