Record-producer extraordinaire Joe Henry takes his own brand of
pensive Americana a step deeper into the underworld on Blood From
Stars, a dreamy and brooding album that just may be the peak of his
career.
It’s a shifting kaleidoscope, an album that can’t rightly be called
rock, folk, jazz or blues—though by turns, it’s all of those
things. It’s also a lyrical journey through a dark and visceral world
that exists only after the decent people have gone to bed.
Adding jazz pianist Jason Moran, guitarist Marc Ribot (Tom Waits,
Elvis Costello) and his 17-year-old son, Levon, on saxophone, to his
longtime band (Patrick Warren on keyboards, David Piltch on bass and
Jay Bellerose on drums), Henry has a crew versatile enough to leave
nuances and surprises everywhere.
The opening prelude and final coda share the same name, “Light No
Lamp When the Sun Comes Down,” kicking the album off with a soft piano
instrumental and then closing it down with an admonition to not guard
against the dark, the storms or time itself, to instead “pull the dark
close to your face” and embrace the wonder and grace of the vibrant
natural world.
“Death to the Storm” is a creeping menace of a song, mixing bursts
of military drum rolls with tinkling piano notes and a full-throated,
ominous chorus.
For the cover, Henry selected a W. Eugene Smith photograph of a
steel mill at night. The stark image is a fitting cover for the
atmospheric music the album contains.
This article appears in Aug 27 – Sep 2, 2009.