Ten albums into a career that includes collaborations with the likes of Elvis Costello, Bettye LaVette, Ani DiFranco and Solomon Burke, Joe Henry shows no signs of slowing down, at least not on Civilians, his second release for indie label Anti-.
That is to say, Henry’s muse doesn’t fail him, but in terms of slowing down, Civilians is the quintessential end-of-the-damn-day, cigarette-and-a-highball, forget-your-troubles-with-a-sneer kinda experience. He rambles through 12 slow, sparse—yet warm—cuts, reflecting on loves lost and found with the detached, endearing voice of latter-day Dylan at his shaggiest.
Aided by guest appearances by jazz guitarist Bill Frisell and pianist Van Dyke Parks, Henry crafts a world in which we’re all civilian-soldiers in the eternal battle against time, just trying to hold off the Grim Reaper for another day. In the poignant “Our Song,” Henry wearily croaks, “I saw Willie Mays at a Scottsdale Home Depot/Looking at garage door springs at the far end of the 14th row.” Henry seems to say that if the Say Hey Kid can’t stay forever young, what’s the point in fighting it?
That sentiment echoes throughout the disc, especially in the bluesy stomp “Time Is a Lion” and the show-stopping balladry of “Civil War,” and Henry’s hauntingly wry observations should echo long into your own dark night, too.
Joe Henry
Civilians
*** 1/2