Shuffletown

Joe Henry | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 31, 1999)
• Original Release Date: 1999
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mammoth / Pgd
• ASIN: B000004AWL
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #83,319 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #22 in Music > Indie Music > Rock > Singer-Songwriters

Track Listings

1. Helena by the Avenue

2. Shuffletown

3. Date for Church

4. John Hanging

5. Spent It All

6. Easter

7. Land

8. Johnny the Conqueror

9. Drowning in the River Half Laughing

10. Charlevoix

11. Make the World Go Away

12. Ben Turpin in the Army

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Sound Of Rain In The Desert, July 1, 1998

By 

"icb" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shuffletown (Audio CD)

Shuffletown is an American album and as such I will always think of it as music to drive across the country by: the lonely stretch between Amarillo and Albuquerque, or the years of difference between Salt Lake City and Logan, Utah. It somehow bridges the gaps, one of those rare records that becomes a personal possession as you ride out the storm. Joe Henry's images recall small town America, with a sepia-tinged sadness that might fall somewhere between Tom Waits and Robbie Robertson. Sonically it's a triumphant mystery, and it's my guess that producer T-Bone Burnett is to thank for using the trumpets, double-basses, and two-track recording that went the way of cool jazz in the early 60s. Consequently it sounds like no other album recorded in the late 80s/early 90s - it's got a slow burn to it, and matches Henry's lyrics and singing with a curious sympathy. Its sound is unlike all his other records (each distinctively terrific), it creeps up on you ("Land"), swells like the ocean ("Charlevoix"), is powerfully quiet ("Drowning in the River Half Laughing"). It's one of the few albums I own that I never tire of.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the great hidden treasures of the last 10 years, February 20, 1999

By 

D. Rubin "audiofinzi" (Redwood City, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shuffletown (Audio CD)

This is a great record, no question about it, and it deserves wider recognition. The production and recording are exceptional--thank you, T-Bone. (And why don't more artists have the courage to do less rather than more in the way of production?) Beautiful, intelligent songs, highly evocative of small-town America, they hold up as memorable and moving over years of listening. I've been listening to Shuffletown steadily for 6-7 years now and I continue to find new levels of intelligence and expression in it. (I've also given it as a gift to many people.) My favorite of Joe Henry's recordings, by far.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolute beauty, November 9, 2000

By 

Bt "Cat." (Parts unknown) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shuffletown (Audio CD)

One of the best cd's in my collection. I've had this one for five years now and I can still call it one of my favourites. While Joe has taken a few different turns in terms of style, to me, this "lounge" approach suites him best. The songs are heartbreaking yet lively. A gifted musician who is grossly underrated. Shuffletown opened a new world of music for me , thanks Joe.