Civilians

Joe Henry - Civilians

Civilians
List Price: $17.98
Our Price: $13.99
You Save: $3.99 (22%)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $7.95 (click here)
Category: Music CD
See more new music releases
Listen soundtracks from this album



(Click here)
Buy this Music CD at online store in your country
Canadian Music Store

Music CD Cover

Artist: Joe Henry
Edition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 2007-09-11
Music Label: Anti
Soundtracks:
  1. Civilians
  2. Parker's Mood
  3. Civil War
  4. Time Is A Lion
  5. You Can't Fail Me Now
  6. Scare Me To Death
  7. Our Song
  8. Wave
  9. Love Is Enough
  10. I Will Write My Book
  11. Shut Me Up
  12. God Only Knows

Free Music Notes for Civilians

Free Music Review: A Master Musician
Hit: 5 Stars

This album is solid from the first song on. The tempo is laid back. The music is diverse taking influences from jazz, blues, country, and classic rock. The songs are arranged very well. The tempo and vocals meld together seamlessly. It is a great album to listen too if your looking for something to sooth your mind and relax your body. This album is a lot like comfort food in the form of music. It has great guitar lines arranged to perfection with vocals that fit perfectly. If you are a fan of Amos Lee, The National, or Andrew Bird then there is a good chance you will like this album a lot.

Civilians Poster

Though Joe Henry has recently been busier as a producer (for the Grammy-winning Solomon Burke, a well-received collaboration between Elvis Costello and Allen Toussaint, and Henry's own collaboration with Loudon Wainwright III), his first recording of his own material in four years reminds that he has few peers among contemporary singer-songwriters. On previous releases, his adventurousness has pulled his music in all sorts of different directions, but focus and cohesion characterize this song cycle--one that suggests that all politics aren't merely local, but deeply personal. From the centerpiece of "Our Song," where Willie Mays laments what the country has become and remembers what it was, Henry crafts a literate, typically inspired song cycle. Stately waltzes, chamber atmospherics, and jazz instrumentation contribute to the cinematic scope of the music, with guitarists Bill Frisell and Greg Leisz and keyboardists Van Dyke Parks and Patrick Warren providing support that leaves the songs plenty of room to breathe. On "You Can't Fail Me Now" and "God Only Knows," it's hard to distinguish poetry from prayer. --Don McLeese
Joe Henry's latest is arguably his finest. This is not meant to undermine the allure and strengths of his previous works--rather, it speaks to artistry at work, that the newest is his best thus far. His work as a producer (for, among others, Allen Toussaint & Elvis Costello, Aimee Mann, Bettye LaVette, and Solomon Burke) has clearly informed what flows forth here. Having assembled a stellar band, he rose to the occasion with this set of emotionally complex songs, rich in subtleties. Deftly drawn characters inhabit many of the lyrics, with the centerpiece being "Our Song," wherein he offers up a viable fiction: encountering baseball hero Willie Mays shopping in an Arizona Home Depot. The melancholy of time passing and expectations being shuffled about makes this a riveting and moving number. Sociopolitical circumstances inform much of the album, but never as sloganeering, always human-scaled, with warmth and a beating heart. --David Greenberger
Since the release of 2003's acclaimed "Tiny Voices", singer/songwriter Henry has appeared mainly as a producer, working on career defining releases by Aimee Mann, Ani DiFranco, Elvis Costello, Solomon Burke, and most recently as producer and co-writer of "Strange Weirdos" (with Loudon Wainwright), the soundtrack to the film "Knocked Up". Working with this generation's finest songwriters inspired Joe to his strongest set of songs on "Civilians"; songs of a new warmth and directness and a bold sense of melody that rides atop the cutting edge arrangements he's become known for. Features legendary pianist/songwriter Van Dyke Parks (everyone from the Beach Boys to U2) and jazz guitar pioneer Bill Frisell (Elvis Costello, Norah Jones).
Since the release of 2003's acclaimed "Tiny Voices", singer/songwriter Henry has appeared mainly as a producer, working on career defining releases by Aimee Mann, Ani DiFranco, Elvis Costello, Solomon Burke, and most recently as producer and co-writer of "Strange Weirdos" (with Loudon Wainwright), the soundtrack to the film "Knocked Up". Working with this generation's finest songwriters inspired Joe to his strongest set of songs on "Civilians"; songs of a new warmth and directness and a bold sense of melody that rides atop the cutting edge arrangements he's become known for. Features legendary pianist/songwriter Van Dyke Parks (everyone from the Beach Boys to U2) and jazz guitar pioneer Bill Frisell (Elvis Costello, Norah Jones).

Pop Music CDs

Music Genres
Top music charts in Best of 2007
Marry Me ImageSt. Vincent - Marry Me
Release date: 2007-07-10; Music CD
Best price: $10.29
Price in other shops: $14.98
Sino ImageCaf? Tacuba - Sino
Release date: 2007-10-09; Music CD
Best price: $8.18
Price in other shops: $14.98
Cold & Kind ImageThe 1900s - Cold & Kind
Release date: 2007-10-02; Music CD
Best price: $9.00
Price in other shops: $14.99
In Our Bedroom After the War ImageStars - In Our Bedroom After the War
Release date: 2007-09-25; Music CD
Best price: $10.48
Price in other shops: $14.98
Pocket Symphony ImageAir - Pocket Symphony
Release date: 2007-03-06; Music CD
Best price: $6.51
Price in other shops: $17.98
The Bird & The Bee ImageThe Bird & The Bee - The Bird & The Bee
Release date: 2007-01-23; Music CD
Best price: $6.59
Price in other shops: $12.98
The Shepherd's Dog ImageIron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Release date: 2007-09-25; Music CD
Best price: $9.79
Price in other shops: $15.98
Neon Bible ImageArcade Fire - Neon Bible
Release date: 2007-03-06; Music CD
Best price: $9.65
Price in other shops: $14.98
Civilians ImageJoe Henry - Civilians
Release date: 2007-09-11; Music CD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops: $17.98
Song III: Bird on the Water ImageMarissa Nadler - Song III: Bird on the Water
Release date: 2007-08-07; Music CD
Best price: $9.15
Price in other shops: $14.98
Top Rated Albums
Soap and Water ImageChuck Prophet - Soap and Water
Release date: 2007-10-02; Music CD
Best price: $10.47
Price in other shops: $15.99
Boxer ImageThe National - Boxer
Release date: 2007-05-22; Music CD
Best price: $6.66
Price in other shops: $9.98
The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter ImageJosh Ritter - The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter
Release date: 2007-08-21; Music CD
Best price: $7.92
Price in other shops: $13.98
Easy Tiger ImageRyan Adams - Easy Tiger
Release date: 2007-06-26; Music CD
Best price: $6.45
Price in other shops: $13.98
Kill to Get Crimson ImageMark Knopfler - Kill to Get Crimson
Release date: 2007-09-18; Music CD
Best price: $8.49
Price in other shops: $18.98
Dirt Farmer ImageLevon Helm - Dirt Farmer
Release date: 2007-10-30; Music CD
Best price: $10.59
Price in other shops: $16.98
Washington Square Serenade (DIG) ImageSteve Earle - Washington Square Serenade (DIG)
Release date: 2007-09-25; Music CD
Best price: $9.50
Price in other shops: $16.98
The Shepherd's Dog ImageIron & Wine - The Shepherd's Dog
Release date: 2007-09-25; Music CD
Best price: $9.79
Price in other shops: $15.98
Scene of the Crime ImageBettye LaVette - Scene of the Crime
Release date: 2007-09-25; Music CD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops: $17.98
Between Daylight and Dark ImageMary Gauthier - Between Daylight and Dark
Release date: 2007-09-18; Music CD
Best price: $6.98
Price in other shops: $13.98
Compare prices and find music notes for more than one million Music CD titles