Henry Jamison - Tourism (2020)

‘Tourism’ is the latest EP from Henry Jamison, one which breaks the typical boundaries of Americana. The collaboration EP, featuring artists who Jamison met on the road, was written after a break-up and months of touring. Jamison’s hard work really shows as each song has been well thought through and perfectly fits the vocals of who he sings with.

The first song, ‘Still Life’, is an airy and angelic track, featuring the all-female vocals of Joseph. Call-backs feature prominently with Joseph almost working as the angels in the story. The song itself is a rather beautiful one, looking at the regret one faces in the moments after a breakup and whilst the song is sad and emotional, you can’t help but fall in love with the soothing angelic sound.

‘Green Room’, featuring Ed Droste again has this airy and angelic feel that Jamison seems to be a fan of. It is much more of a dreamy pop-folk vibe as it reaches the chorus. This is the sort of song that Jamison is most suited too and it again uses Ed Droste’s talents very well.

‘Tourism’, the title track, is much more ballad-like. It is slow and is the song that really showcases Jamison’s skill as a great storyteller. He’s also clearly taken the time across the album not to just choose everyone who he has met on the road, but to really think about who would match his voice perfectly.

Jamison’s voice is something that shouldn’t be slept on either. It has this beautiful melodic feel to it and his range is unbelievably impressive, often singing higher than some of his female collaborative artists.

‘I Forget Myself’ featuring Darlingside, who are also the backing band throughout the album, is a really nice folk song about an ex-partner. Whilst definitely being the most typical ‘Americana’ song in the whole album, Jamison still incorporates his signature airy and angelic sound.

In some cases however, such as in ‘Orchardist’ featuring Lady Lamb, the music can be a bit too loud and overshadow the different voices on the album. But overall, Jamison has created a very strong collaborative EP, which highlights his interesting voice.