Joe Henry stays true to the tradition of the songwiriting troubador with a restless muse that he seems dedicated to follow wherever it may lead him. In the past, he has experimented with roots rock, countrified folk, and jazzy crooning, with mixed results. Although the songs are always stellar, Henry seems to be on a constant search for the right sound blanket to wrap around his meticulously cratfted tunes. Trampoline, his most recent release, is a perfect fit, a pastiche of fascinating sounds and adventurous production that combine with his best batch of songs yet to form one hell of a great record.
As a songwriter, Henry has a brilliant eye for detail and ear for dialogue. The characters in his songs speak in direct language that is able to describe complex emotions and ideas simply, raising relevant issues without being preachy or overbearing. The sound is lush, yet edgy, drums that shuffle through thick air from a transistor radio somewhere in the corner of a desolate room, guitars slashing to and fro in a maelstrom of feedback bumping up against a shimmering silver curtain.
Check out the incendiary cover of Sly Stone's "Let Me Have It All" to see what happens when the funk is forced into a carbonated can and opened up after violently shaking the contents. "I Was A Playboy" is a crushingly beautiful act of self-reflection, an unflinching look at the necessity of ego and the casualties it leaves behind. Henry is able to invest each song with a distinct personality and still maintain a balanced cohesion throughout the record that makes for a deeply affecting listening experience which only gets better with each successive spin. Do not pass this one by.
If you like Joe Henry, check out:
Elvis Costello Trust
Joe Henry Fuse
Sly & The Family Stone Fresh
Jim White Wrong-Eyed Jesus
Vic Chesnutt About To Choke
