Joe Henry

The Profile

Joe Henry is an American singer-songwriter and producer active since the mid-1980s. He began in alt-country/Americana and later wove jazz textures into his records. He has produced acclaimed albums for artists including Solomon Burke, Bettye LaVette, Allen Toussaint, Ani DiFranco, Aimee Mann, and Elvis Costello, and co-wrote Madonna’s “Don’t Tell Me.”

Reviews highlight Scar’s jazz-laced palette with Ornette Coleman (plus Brad Mehldau and Marc Ribot), Tiny Voices’ chamber-jazz textures with Don Byron and Ron Miles on the Anti- label, and Civilians’ songwriter classicism with players like Bill Frisell, Greg Leisz, Patrick Warren, and Van Dyke Parks (after years with Mammoth). Kindness of the World was recorded in New Orleans at Daniel Lanois’ studio, features a duet with Victoria Williams, and includes a Tom T. Hall cover.

Four reviews chart Joe Henry’s path from country-rooted albums to jazz-textured works. Scar is praised for Ornette Coleman’s shiver-inducing sax and a hidden track; Tiny Voices continues the jazz-laced approach with Don Byron and Ron Miles. Civilians, on Anti-, is hailed as a small classic with Bill Frisell and Van Dyke Parks. Kindness of the World evokes New Orleans winds and classic country warmth.