design, layout Simon Ward
mixed by Michael Hunter
mixed by Steve Hogarth
photography by Luigi Colasanti Antonelli
photography by [additional] Trevor Burgess
recorded by Roderick Brunton
All songs recorded live February - July 2006.

It is fairly well known that I originally put together the h Natural gigs to pay an unexpected and rather stiff tax bill. This, although perfectly true, doesn't mean I was doing it for the money for long. I soon discovered (after the initial terror of being up there alone subsided) that the naked approach to the songs gave me an opportunity to turn up the gain on the subtleties within the meanings of the songs, and to work with the nuances within the vocal performances which were suddenly so much more exposed.

Being alone also meant I could take the show anywhere I chose from moment to moment. I could also follow the audience too, if they chose to seize it from me and take it somewhere else. This happened more and more as the tour progressed, as you’ll know if you’ve seen the “Naked in the Chapel” DVD or been at one of the gigs.
So the shows became fluid, living things which would surprise me each night. For me, equally scary, exciting, funny and tender.

What you have here is a selection of songs chosen from across the h Natural tour (not exactly a tour, but a basket-load of sporadic patches of gigs from 2006 onwards) - chosen because I thought these recordings best captured the essence of what I've been thinking/feeling and trying to express over the years. Apologies if I've excluded a favourite - there's always the possibility of coming and seeing a future show. I have been known to do requests.

See you tonight?

Mr h
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