capsule reviews of miscellaneous titles by
JOE HENRY

Joe Henry
Scar    (2001)

Comments:  Joe Henry started in a band called the Jayhawks and then went solo, carving out one of the more interesting and distinct solo personas working in American music today. He has the audacity and the courage of Tom Waits, a gift for lyrics that twist, riddle, and subtlely suggest, and a razor-edged voice.  On Scar, he strikes the pose of a bar blues piano player and winds his way through punchdrunk songs about sad and self-aware obsessions. "Stop", the most radio-ready of these exploratory endeavors, is a strong and deceptively simple blend of pop and jazz, while "Struck" and "Edgar Bergen" are beautiful, tear-stained poetry.   "Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation", the album's ambitious opener, is strange and heartbreaking, a confession of wasted opportunities and yet a grateful and affectionate tribute to a beautiful world. It's not the most accessible work in the world, but the best things in life, and music, come with a little work.

Outstanding tracks: "Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation", "Edgar Bergen"

Jeffrey's Sum-Up: Impressive