Review: Megan Henwood

Megan Henwood has come a very long way since she won the BBC Young Folk Award back in 2009 with her brother Joe.

As she approaches the releases of her second solo album, 'Head Heart Hand', she steps away from the folk sound that defined her early work and hopes to re-establish herself as a fusion artist with mainstream potential.

With a subtle rock undertone, Henwood's folk fanbase will be pleased to learn that the songstress has far from simply abandoned the genre that made her name.

Although the album certainly packs a pop punch and has understated country elements, this is essentially Henwood's commercial reworking of the folk genre, which is essentially inoffensive radio friendly material.

Opening with the winning 'Love/Loathe', Henwood delivers a summer anthem that will stick with you from the moment you press play.

Thereafter she delivers a mix of sounds that will have your heart aflutter and your mind filled with curiosity. From the tender 'Chemicals' to the angst of 'These Walls' and breeze of 'Garden', Henwood does not disappoint.

While the Joan Armatrading-esque 'No Good No Sun' is a definite album highlight, this is a collection without a lowlight.

In essence, Henwood proves that she is more than capable of capturing hearts with her stunning compositions and that genre classification really isn't central to her appeal.