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Tess wrote all the songs and vocal arrangements on her first CD, Easy To Love. It’s a soulful blend of new and old school sound, where youthful exploration of relationships bloom into mature musical perspective. Her emotional voice is new to the music scene, but with reviewers in the U.S. and Europe spreading the word, people are beginning to know her by name:

The highly respected Soul And Jazz And Funk (UK) says “Tess shows remarkable maturity and focus, her music is draped in luscious harmonies; it’s truly infectious. The Henley approach to music is all about craftsmanship, commitment and an appreciation of what truly constitutes musicality.” Jazz And Soul (EUR) calls the CD “An extremely fresh album” while the largest soul site in America, Soul Tracks, adds, “Henley as a vocalist doesn’t suffer from being compared to Alicia Keys. Both eschew the breathy little girl sound that is the rage these days. Henley, like Keys, opens her mouth and gives a full-throated vocal that sounds mature, passionate and believable.”

When asked about her music, the hard-working, soft-spoken Tess replies, “Well, I don’t often like to share my innermost thoughts and feelings, but music’s been a therapeutic way to peel away a few layers and pour out those emotions”. An admitted perfectionist, Tess adds with a humble smile, “Wow, that CD project was all about hard work and long hours. It definitely makes me proud, and seeing everybody have a good time at our live shows is an extra joy.” With Easy To Love, she lets the listener in, writing about her relationships won (Fool With You, Easy To Love), lost (Hitting Me Hard Now), or somewhere in between (Complicated). Henley explains, “Disguise is about heartache after my first love, a story that lots of people say they relate to…and Pompi's Song is about grieving the loss of my grandfather who always inspired me with his humility and grace. His faith was very important to him and that gave me the idea to have gospel singers do the background tracks.”

“You know, I’m relatively new to this business, but I definitely don’t feel new to music. My mom sang nightly in a band, right next to some big ole thumping bass and drums until the very week I was born!” Some say that innate rhythm and daily classical piano practice from age 3 helped Tess to develop strong songwriting skills, setting her apart from the crowd. Tess now performs with a talented young band of her own, while she “strives to write addictive, musically rich songs that soothe the soul of young and old alike”.