Henri Herbert: Get It While It’s Hot

(HH Records | AWAL)

CD | DL | Stream

Out 7th November 2025

PRE-ORDER HERE

Self-taught piano-playing phenomenon Henri Herbert is back with a band and most definitely a bang as he unleashes his new album Get It While It’s Hot upon the world. And it’s time to hold onto your hats as Henri brings us this earthshaking collection of songs which is steeped in the wild spirit and raw energy of early rock’n’roll, rhythm and blues, and garage boogie.

Henri Herbert is an artist who has rock’n’roll running through his veins as much as any other I have ever met or seen perform. More than that, it’s a spirit which runs right through into his fingertips with sensational results once they are placed on the black and white ivory keys of a piano. And to say Henri has become a worldwide piano playing phenomenon does not overstate either his talent or his significance in the rock’n’roll landscape, most especially in preserving some of our most important musical heritage. Just ask anyone who has had the pleasure and indeed privilege of seeing Henri perform live up close and personal. It’s an experience you will never forget.

Henri’s formative years in life were absorbed by the sounds of Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry, Elvis, Little Richard, and Fats Domino, all of whose talents and sounds were undoubtedly subsumed into Henri’s inner consciousness. And it was these inspirational figures that fashioned his career objective which was, as Henri put it in an earlier interview with Louder Than War, “just to earn a living at the piano and not have to do other jobs.” Of course, there is usually a means to an end in advance of any career aspiration which, in Henri’s case, crystalised in the long hours he spent working on the docks. But once the big break came through joining the incendiary force that was the Jim Jones Revue, Henri was up and running on the live stage and he has never looked back, with that career aspiration working through perhaps more than he could ever have dreamed of.

Since Henri left the Revue after they played their final show in 2014, he has carved out his own successful solo career, initially based in the UK but then immigrating to the USA with a base in Austin before then moving to his current home of Nashville, which of course is steeped in such strong musical traditions all of its own. After starting out with his own band The Fury, he has performed and recorded both solo and with a band, releasing a number of critically acclaimed albums. But there is little doubt that, much as he loves the solo piano material which showcases his talent on the keyboard so vividly, Henri’s passion for the hard driving rock’n’roll sound which helped to shape his early years has never diminished and a new raw and unbridled energy was about to be unleashed upon the world.

Following on from his last album in 2023, Blues Piano Grooves, which was just Henri on solo piano and vocals, including both originals and classic covers, Henri has now made the move to rekindle the spirit and sound of his early solo years by playing with a band again, resulting in his new album Get It While It’s Hot. With a band comprising Tjarko Jeen on guitar, Josh Williams on bass and Dino Malo on drums, Henri has found the ability to lift up the sound to a whole new dimension, with the mixing on the album done by his old band leader Jim Jones who also brings with him a deep appreciation of our rock’n’roll heritage! As Henri explained about the songs that feature on this new album, “I’ve had these songs and these grooves in my head for a while now. It’s influenced by the greats, but I want to take it a few steps further and see how far I can push things.”

And “push things” Henri most definitely does right from the off as Cold City explodes into life with a pounding rhythm and twinkling keys, with Henri even taking the time to mimic Jerry Lee’s menacing growl as the song gathers intensity. This is a perfect opener with its self-reflective narrative which focuses on his own struggles and ultimately his resilience to pursue his dream, sometimes against all the odds as Henri explains, “Many years ago I was working long shifts as a dock worker in Essex and London – it was dangerous and hard on the hands! But I persevered and eventually I was able to become a full-time musician, toured the world with the Jim Jones Revue and eventually immigrated to the USA to establish a solo career. This song is about those days of struggle and the long journey I’ve been on so far – that is not yet finished!”

Bad follows on in equally ferocious style with the piano front and centre. The rhythm is driven by Henri’s relentless left-hand giving it that boogie woogie foundation, whilst his right hand is left free to do its own thing and Tjarko’s guitar takes its own wild ride as the song swings and sways in a supercharged fashion. Meanwhile Guilty Pleasures rolls through another stomping beat as this garage rock style boogie takes us down the path of righteousness.

Nothing Free plunders Herni’s rhythm and blues roots as he reminds us that “you can’t get nothing for free”, undoubtedly referencing back to the struggles he has endured in getting to this point in his life and career. I Got The Fury simply explodes right from the off, with a thunderous rhythm, pounding keys, passionate vocals which are right up there with Henri’s finest, and an incendiary guitar break just to add further fuel to an already out of control fire. It’s a song riddled with the spirit and intensity of Jerry Lee but very much of its time now in the 21st century.

Texas Boogie does just what it says on the tin with its intense rhythmic pattern underscoring Henri’s stunning boogie piano rolls and Tjarko’s bluesy guitar riffs, with its roots firmly planted in the legacy created by the likes of Albert Ammons and Meade Lux Lewis. We get some brief respite through Bad As Me, a slow burning ballad with a melancholy vibe which is accentuated by Henri’s passionate vocal delivery. Fire is the first of two covers on the album, this one being a complete re-imagination of Jimi Hendrix’s original, infusing it with the passion and drive of Jerry Lee and dragging it kicking and screaming into a 21st century post-punk era.

The pumping rhythm of Blood From A Stone is wrapped in angst which simply bleeds through the frustration in Henri’s impassioned vocals, further enhanced by the discordant guitar break and the relentless keys. The rollicking beat and hard-driving piano boogie of Poison is imbued with the spirit of Fats Domino which is further supercharged by wild guitar runs and the break-neck and high-energy drum patterns.

If I Could is the second cover song on the album, this time being a soulful take on Snooks Eaglin’s song, with bluesy undertones carrying the heartfelt message throughout. As Henri explains, “I always loved this song by the great Snooks Eaglin and I’m glad we got it down. It’s one I play live at nearly every show. Snooks was a great artist and a bit overlooked in my opinion. My old bandmate Jim Jones from the UK overdubbed some cool guitar, but apart from that we just cut the whole song live in Austin Texas – what you hear is what we did.” The album closes out in classic fashion with a red hot piano boogie of Talkin’ Trash with that solid left hand holding down the relentless beat before the right hand is let loose once again mid song.

As a collection of songs there is little doubt that Get It While It’s Hot re-creates all the wild spirit and raw energy of early rock’n’roll, rhythm and blues, and garage boogie that you will experience when seeing Henri Herbert and his fine band on stage. But more than that it’s an album that stands as a fine testament to the rock’n’roll heritage which it draws on so heavily and a very important statement to keep this vital legacy well and truly alive and kicking well into the 21st century.

There is the opportunity to hear the songs from this new album and so much more performed live on stage in New York and London real soon and you are strongly advised not to miss out. The shows are as follows:

November
06 Fanatics Pub, Lima, New York (warm-up show) (tickets here)
08 Drom, New York (tickets here)
16 100 Club, London (tickets here)

You can pre-order the album here or here.

You can find Henri Herbert on Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, Bandcamp and his website.

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All words by Ian Corbridge. You can find more of his writing at his author profile here.