Henry Zhao is a young songwriter who has been praised by everyone from Byrds’ bassist John York to “viral” sensations Quebec-based “one-man band” Eric Poirier. In 2021 he was invited to a guest appearance at Eric Andersen’s rare L.A. show at Altadena’s late, great Coffee Gallery Backstage. His set was praised by Andersen’s violinist, Scarlet Rivera, of Dylan’s Desire fame that night.

Despite an ongoing Tourette’s-centric brain disorder, Henry, over the last year, has miraculously pushed through to some wonderfully fresh and vibrant original music. These 2026 sessions, with his collaborative band, the All Suffering Emergency Eradication Army (Jimmy & Tony Licata), are a suite of three linked songs.  The theme is the wistful nature of romantic love from its earliest stages to the aftermath, years later looking back on what was gained, lost and redeemed.

The opening song, “If You Knew My Love,” is an early-Beatles style tune mixed with the raw energy of early Green Day and a twist of Lennon’s pre-“Help” youthful days.  The danceable song has an immediate appeal with the British Invasion echo and the love-at-first-sight kind of determination that is so much a part of the energy of the early Beatles’ songs.  It is distinctly John Lennon in shade and substance.

 

“Christina” is a remix of an early version revised in a unique, ’50s style groove, with distinctive mainstream polish. The new mix brings it all home with some fun background vocals and an ascending arrangement that carries us into a feeling of release of discovery with a Brill Building-inspired pop sensibility.

Finally, “Did It Cross Your Mind (Demo)” is a Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan–style demo, stripped down to only the essential elements needed to deliver its message. The song is narrated from the warmth of an older soul who is reminded of his own innocence at the sight of young lovers. “That was you and me a long, long time ago” becomes the refrain as he recalls a past love. He could very well have been the younger man in the first two songs from this release.

This trio of songs presents a three‑dimensional exploration of the innocence and fragility of young love, concluding with a post script from a wistful—perhaps wiser—soul who can look back with fondness through the eyes of a broken heart. The circles and cycles of love over a lifetime find their finale in this beautifully simple song. As a whole, this touching three‑song suite offers genuine wisdom and emotional dimension from the first track to the last.

As Henry Zhao continues to create through the adversity of this rare brain disorder, his resilient spirit finds the space and stillness needed to let songs like these breathe. Through the passion he pours into his work, he may be discovering the healing that will carry him through the mystery of life in this vale of tears.