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Joe Henry
Tiny Voices
(Anti-/Epitaph)
T.J. Simon's #1 album for 2003
First Appeared at The Music Box, November 2003, Volume 10, #11
Written by T.J. Simon
Tiny Voices, Joe Henry’s ninth album, forgoes the country tilt his music
has displayed over the years in favor of a lush, jazzy ambience. During the five
days it took to record the disc in December 2002, Henry surrounded himself with
a cast of accomplished musicians from both the rock and jazz worlds, wisely
trusting his hired guns to improvise during the sessions in order to create the
musical textures that envelop his basic arrangements. The formula was a
resounding success, and Tiny Voices is one of the most atmospheric and
sophisticated releases of 2003.
Those who listen to a massive number of albums each year undoubtedly will
love Tiny Voices because it’s such a unique piece of musical art. As such
it’s difficult to find an analogy to describe this disc simply because there’s
nobody out there doing what Henry does — although the Howard Fishman Quartet is
in the proper neighborhood. Rather than having a standout single, the songs on
Tiny Voices work together to form an interwoven tapestry as one track
melts into the next without the requisite moments of silence that typically fill
the spaces between cuts. For example, Dirty Magazine segues nicely into
Flag thanks to the muted clarinet and tenor saxophone of Don Byron and
the piano improvisations of Dave Palmer and Patrick Warren.
Based upon Henry’s stellar lyrics, one gets the feeling that he could have
been a poet, an essayist, or a novelist. He steps out of his own skin to assume
the persona of a hotel maid on This Afternoon and a woman suffering from
poverty and neglect on Widows of the Revolution. While his voice is
smooth — not unlike that of Ron Sexsmith or Sting — Henry’s literate songwriting
style and vivid characterizations are more akin to label-mate Tom Waits. Check
out Loves You Madly and Flesh and Blood for textbook examples of
how to craft perfect lyrics and complement them with complex melodies.
Tiny Voices is not a hooky pop album, but rather it is a sonic, beautiful
musician’s piece. As such, it requires multiple listens to fully appreciate its
many textures. Henry produced the disc himself, and he brings some impressive
production credentials to the table after winning a Grammy Award last year for
his work on Solomon Burke’s comeback album Don’t Give Up On Me. On
Tiny Voices, Henry modernizes the jazz instrumentation with avant-garde
flourishes — a drum loop here and a sound effect there — to avoid sounding like
a retro act. As a result, the album contains the best production of the year,
and it all comes together to be what is without a doubt one of the finest albums
in recent memory. 
Tiny Voices is available
from Amazon.com. To order, Click Here!
For Canadian orders, please
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For UK orders, please
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2003
The Music Box
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