Last November the Triangle music scene lost one of its brightest stars to a rare soft tissue cancer. Reese McHenry died on November 14, 2024, after a long battle with the disease. McHenry was one of North Carolina's most soulful songwriters and fiery performers of the past several decades and she easily charmed anyone she came across, whether that be on stage or off.
Now, her final recordings will be released in a posthumous album by the Chapel Hill based Suah Sounds. McHenry had been recording songs with the label, but realized she might never see the finished product come to fruition. Label owner Michael Venutolo-Mantovani recalled messaging with McHenry about finishing the album.
"Reese texted me, imploring me to release the first single from her latest recording sessions, 'I Do What I Want,' as soon as possible," Venutolo-Mantovani wrote in the liner notes. "She wanted to get it out even if that meant eschewing a physical release, which would take far too much time to come to fruition. I wish she knew that we were going to get her final recordings into the world, in a real package, with real art created by real friends."
Suah Sounds announced today that it would release McHenry's final recordings on March 6 both digitally and on vinyl. Titled "Forever," the album collects 12 songs McHenry recorded with her band, plus some odds and ends from sessions she did with collaborators Matt Douglas, Chris Rossi, Spider Bags, and Jon Wurster.
While the LP and digital version of the record collect 12 songs, the LP version comes with a digital download that features an additional 40 tracks of never-before-heard demos and unreleased music dating back to the early 2000s. Suah Sounds released McHenry's album "No Dados" in 2019.
Venutolo-Mantovani said the record wouldn't be possible without help from McHenry's friends, band, and her husband, Justin.
"Reese's essence was power. I wonder if that's because she spent so much of her life fighting," he said.
A record release show for "Forever" is also in the works, with more details coming soon.
Check out the opening track, the thoughtful ballad "Mississippi Blue" below.
"Forever" is available to pre-order on Bandcamp now.
