Artist: Joe Henry
Album: Reverie
Bitrate: 217kbps avg
Quality: EAC Secure Mode / LAME 3.98.4 / -V0 / 44.100Khz
Label: Anti-
Genre: Indie
Size: 100.67 megs
PlayTime: 1h 01min 14sec total
Rip Date: 2011-10-22
Store Date: 2011-10-07
Track List:
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01. Heaven's Escape 4:54
02. Odetta 4:33
03. After The War 3:25
04. Sticks & Stones 4:50
05. Grand Street 4:53
06. Dark Tears 5:15
07. Strung 4:30
08. Tomorrow Is October 4:34
09. Piano Furnace 4:27
10. Deathbed Version 3:24
11. Room At Arles 3:28
12. Eyes Out For You 5:17
13. Unspeakable 4:38
14. The World & All I Know 3:06
Release Notes:
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Singer-songwriter Joe HenryÆs career trajectory has been chameleonic: He started
off rooted in alternative country before flirting with everything from
meat-and-potatoes rock ænÆ roll to tape loop-based trip-hop experimentalism.
During the 2000s, however, it seemed heÆd finally discovered his true voice,
turning out an impressive string of darkly soulful albums which didnÆt neatly
fit any one genre but evoked many of the same feelings as the rickety,
whiskey-soaked jazz-blues of Tom Waits. Twelfth album Reverie continues
exploring this style, though the songs arenÆt as cacophonous as those of his
previous effort, 2009Æs Blood from Stars, which often sounded on the cusp of
total breakdown. While there are still a few flickers of underlying chaos to be
found, like the nervous drumming on ôSticks and Stonesö and ôGrand Street,ö
Reverie is HenryÆs most stoic and mature offering to date, emphasizing above all
else his aching, smoky vocals.
Henry emotes with astonishing conviction throughout the album, marrying his
sorrowful croon to classic, jazzy chord progressions and skeletal, mostly
acoustic instrumentation, effortlessly hitting the blue notes and accidentals so
crucial to early 20th-century vocal jazz. The music itself is certainly
effective and at times downright chilling (check the bluesy Fleetwood Mac-esque
pulse of ôDark Tearsö or the ominous piano that drives ôStrungö), but for the
most part it functions as texture, a backdrop for HenryÆs involved, imagistic
lyrical tales of antiheroes and lost lovers as well as his emotional vocal
delivery. ôTomorrow is Octoberö and ôAfter the War,ö for instance, contain some
of his most breathtaking lyrics to date, made all the more vivid by HenryÆs
incredibly emotional vocal delivery. If Reverie is united by one thing, itÆs
just that: emotion. Immersing yourself in HenryÆs heart-on-sleeve honesty is
eerily akin to peering into your own soul ù a process by turns painful and
rewarding.
ôComfortableö still doesnÆt quite describe Henry, who still weaves his dense
storytelling among an ever-shifting amalgam of jazz, blues, folk, swing and even
classical, but he does sound mellower ù thereÆs no question the changes and
nuances on Reverie, for all their arty sophistication, are calmer and subtler
than past records. The albumÆs mood is also consistently dreary, and though itÆs
a wonderful soundtrack to a quiet, rainy night, it does rely a bit too heavily
on languid, largely percussion-less ballads, while those which feature a full
band are dirges or midtempo shuffles. As itÆs not a wildly dynamic record, donÆt
put it on if youÆre trying to stay awake on a long drive or expecting a flashy,
stimulating listen, but Reverie is a poignant piece of careful introspection
that reveals its sonic depth more successfully on headphones than over the car
stereo and, if given the proper listening space it demands, it succeeds on its
own terms.