Short Man's Room
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Description
After delivering two albums in the classic singer/songwriter mode, this 1993 release found Midwesterner Joe Henry headed for points deeper South, at least spiritually, looking for a modern version of an old Nashville sound. Things kick off in a terrific pop vein with "Good Fortune," which, despite the mandolins in the background, features a wonderful riff hook that wouldn't have sounded out of place alongside Merseybeat classics on '60s AM radio. The Jayhawks act as Henry's backing band on all 11 tracks here, offering a modernist bluegrass tint to most of the CD. "Reckless Child," heavy on the banjo and fiddles, is one of those Civil War-sounding rock ditties--sort of the Band meets Tom Petty, circa Southern Accents--while Tennessee waltzes such as "Last One Out" and "A Friend to You" wouldn't have been out of place, stylistically, on mid-'70s albums by the likes of early Loggins and Messina, Steve Goodman, Jesse Colin Young, or the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band. But the songs here are probably all better ("Sault Sainte Marie" will delight anyone from Michigan or who has visited the title place), with nary a clunker in the bunch. --Bill Holdship
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