It’s one thing to dream up a cool idea — we all have those. I wanted to start a speed metal Grateful Dead cover band called Hateful Shred just to prank some Deadheads at an open mic. Did I do it? No. Why? Because it would take work! (Also, I was assured by an assortment of Deadheads that they would likely enjoy such a spectacle.)
But Burlington folk trio Honey & Soul put in the effort and made their dream a reality. Back in 2019, songwriter and guitarist Hannah Hausman, cellist and bassist Cleo Flemming, and fiddle and banjo player Danica Cunningham spent some time in a yurt, where they decided to write down their biggest dreams as a band.
“We had a big board up on the wall, and we started writing all the things we wanted to achieve together,” Cunningham explained as she and her bandmates sat across the table from me at a Burlington bar.
“It quickly became this thing where we got very serious about figuring out exactly what we would need, and how much it would cost, to make a new record sound exactly how we wanted it to,” Hausman added. “We did a fundraiser and raised $17,000 — and we ended up needing every dollar of it.”
The musicians took their time, meticulously recording their dream project at several Burlington studios with coproducers and co-engineers Dan Kruglak and Ian Steinberg. The result is the triumphant, emotionally charged Lady King, which the group released on May 5.
“Lady King encapsulates this idea of power that isn’t gendered.” Hannah Hausman
All but naked in its vulnerability, Lady King is a showcase of Hausman’s songwriting and the trio’s stunningly evocative vocal harmonies. From the soul-inflected “Separate Her Heart” to the anthemic title track, it’s a record that shows what a talented group of musicians can do with clear goals and the will to achieve them.
“Now that we’re getting the vinyl pressed and releasing the singles, it’s really rewarding to think back to that weekend in the yurt,” Cunningham said. “Because we really did get exactly what we set out to record.”
It’s also an album with a clear, intentional message, according to Hausman.
“These songs are about me coming into my own power,” she said with a knowing smile. “And realizing that such power comes from a place of love and connection. Lady King encapsulates this idea of power that isn’t gendered.”
Hausman writes Honey & Soul’s songs, but the trio arranges and produces them together.
“Hannah will come into rehearsal and sort of just say, ‘Hey, I wrote a song. Can I share it?'” Flemming said. “And then she’ll play it, and Danica and I are like, ‘Holy shit, how did you make that?'”
Next, the three women usually start working out their harmonies, something Cunningham feels helps them understand and align with what Hausman has written.
“There are words in these songs that are truly healing,” she said. Cunningham, who is a music therapist by profession, believes Lady King is a record that can help those who listen to it “not feel alone and to find their own power.”
“Personally, I just want people to listen to this record and say, ‘Oh, my God, these people are so hot!'” Flemming joked, eliciting laughter from Hausman and Cunningham.
Whatever the reaction to the record, the band has big plans to promote it. The trio kicks off a summer tour on May 25 at the Monkey House in Winooski before swinging through New England and Montréal. Before that, however, is the release show of the album on Friday, May 12, at the O.N.E. Community Center in Burlington. For tickets, visit honeyandsoulmusic.com. Lady King is available on all streaming services.
This article appears in May 10-16, 2023.
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