Search - Joe Henry :: Blood from Stars

Well thought out Blues interpretation record

Dj for dj's | orlando, FL. | 09/06/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The album is well written and equally well-recorded. Very intelligent and lonely. But it doesn't seem to capture a soul. I don't hear any honest confessions or pain or love, or any emotion whatsoever, Simply well sung metaphors and lyrics. A manufactured product. Blood from Stars is as vivid a portrayal as any film, but its not really real. Blade Runner Blues"

Tom Waits Lite...

G. E. Harrison | Cheltenham | 09/16/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I first came to Joe Henry through his production work with Bettye LaVette, Susan Tedeschi, Teddy Thompson, Elvis Costello/Allen Toussaint and Solomon Burke and this is the first of his own releases that I've heard. On first listen it sounds a bit like 'Tom Waits - Lite' particularly on songs like "The Man I Keep Hid" and "Death to the storm". I don't mean this as a put-down but mainly because of the left-field production, arrangements and also possibly because of the presence of guitarist Mark Ribot. However, unfortunately Joe doesn't have Tom Waits' extraordinary voice or his ability to write memorable, heart-rending ballads. What he does have is the ability to create wonderful, dramatic sonic landscapes, as in the track "Suit On A Frame". This track and several others are like listening to a film - the sounds are so vivid and theatrical.



I think this is a very interesting album that actually sounds amazing but it definitely needs a couple more really good songs to raise it to four or five stars. Amazon are categorising this as 'blues' but for me this isn't blues (or jazz) but if you do like Tom Waits give it a go, it could be right up your street. My highlights were "All Blues Hail Mary", "Death to the storm" and "Truce"."

His best yet

Deb H | Madison, WI | 11/14/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I didn't expect Henry to top "Fuse," a long-time favorite, but he's done it here. The liner notes alone are worth the purchase; he describes the process of creating this CD in prose that left me as breathless as the creative music and arrangements I've come to expect."