Big Judy is an accurate title, aptly describing Henske’s thunderous voice, which immediately commands your attention. She never found the commercial success she deserved, so this 2-CD set, which draws from her entire career, provides a welcome and overdue introduction.
Henske’s been dubbed a folkie and, more memorably, ‘Queen Of The Beatniks’, but neither truly encompasses what she does. Some of the material is traditional folk, but even then she chooses something with an edge: Love Henry’s spurned lover stabs her man ‘full deep’ and throws him down a well. But then there’s the psychedelic swirl of Dolphins In The Sea, and songs from the legendary Farewell Aldebaran album, co-produced by the Lovin’ Spoonful’s Jerry Yester and Zal Yanovsky. Yanovsky provides a fuzzy guitar on the swampy Snowblind, there’s yet more darkness on Lullaby and Raider is a spine-tingling slice of backwoods Appalachian-tinged blues.
In the early 70s, Henske retired in favour of raising her daughter. She returned, though, and the songs from Loose In The World and She Sang California show the years didn’t dilute the power of her voice. The last track, Hollywood People, reveals her sense of humour was also still intact.
