Tiny Voices

Joe Henry | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 23, 2003)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Anti
• ASIN: B0000C0FA0
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #114,085 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: CD
Artist: HENRY,JOE
Title: TINY VOICES
Street Release Date: 09/23/2003
Domestic
Genre: ROCK/POP

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "circus freaks selling lemonade", September 24, 2003

By 

Jason Nelson (Cedar Falls, Iowa United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tiny Voices (Audio CD)

'Tiny Voices' contains everything I like about Joe Henry albums. I really don't know how he does it. 'Trampoline' was my introduction to Joe Henry's music, and that record still blows me away. Soon after discovering Trampoline I went out and bought all of his music. I found something different in every record. (I recommend checking out all of them) Then 'Fuse' and 'Scar' came out and mixed things up a bit. I admit that it took me some time to fully appreciate them, but with time they really grew on me, like all of Joe's
music. 'Tiny Voices' grabbed me from the start. It's such a full and rewarding record. Laid back, but far from easy listening. The many instruments all leave their mark, and never sound cluttered. The sound is truly timeless. Very experimental, and yet straight forward at the same time. And of course the lyrics are amazing. I've never heard anything quite like it. Joe Henry fans that had a hard time following his last two records, as well as fans who love all of his previous releases should love this record. It would also be a great introduction to Joe Henry's amazing music.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Triumph For An Artist Who Defies Categorization..., February 12, 2004

By 

"wkita58" (Ivoryton, Ct United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tiny Voices (Audio CD)

"Tiny Voices" is yet another beautifully discordant "jazzy" triumph for a vastly under appreciated artist. In the tradition of "Scar," his previous masterpiece, Mr. Henry continues to explore the themes that have dominated his work from the beginning: love, loss, betrayal, transcendence and shatterd expectations. Defying the temptation of critics who would like nothing more than to pidgeonhole him - he's been compared to everyone from Tom Waites to Elvis Costello - Mr. Henry continues to chart his own course. His musical palette, as wide as the Mississippi is long, ranges from folk to to jazz to Tin Pan Alley. And it's all so seamless, you wonder how he does it. "Tiny Voices" is dominated by the lush, tastefully discordant jazzy background music that was used so effectively on "Scar," although on "Tiny Voiices" it's more restrained. He's altogether eshewed the pop elements of his 1999 release "Fuse," which brought him a smattering of the attention he deserves. Apart from his masterly musical explorations, Mr. Henry shows he can write a song with the best of them, including Waites and Costello. Mr. Henry's "Flesh and Blood," performed so powerfully by Solomon Burke on the Henry-produced record "Don't Give Up On Me," is one of my favorites:

"Come see the golden light,
Because I've turned the gold light on.
Sometimes, God knows, you've got to
Learn to shine on your own.

I step out of the darkness
And for a moment I'm onlyy living by your kiss,
And just for now our flesh and blood
Is no more real than this."

This is music for people, adults, who think and feel. Buy it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Henry's Tiny Voices have something to say, January 9, 2004

By 

J. A. Newby (Burlington, NC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tiny Voices (Audio CD)

Tiny Voices seems to be Joe Henry's attempt to bridge the sonic and iconic bricolage of Fuse with the alchemy of live performance as captured in Scar. It's a room of people, listening, waiting, and impregnating each moment with possibility, sound, and restraint. It's simultaneously hushed and boisterous. His latest is a record that has haunted and taunted me since it's opening moment. I've been digesting the album since its September 23rd release, and while it's offered enjoyment and intrigue, I wouldn't dare to say that I've begun to wrest the sustenance such a work will offer over a longer span of time.

From what I've read, the making of Tiny Voices was quite the daring effort, but one Henry handled quite ably. It was captured with eight cohorts over a five-day period. Considering the formidable talents of each individual involved, the results could have simmered into a safely calculated mash of pristine session player prowess. Fortunately, the artist knew what he was doing and delivered a collection of songs that are acoustically chaotic, lyrically confounding, yet oddly comforting. It's a discomforting comfort, a comforting discomfort, and one never gnaws to the marrow of such a paradoxical bone. Perhaps that's why I love it like I do.

Like the two previous albums, Tiny Voices probably shouldn't be sold by daylight. It probably should be listened to only under the shadow of night. Maybe if it bore a warning label he might move more units. I've bought a handful of copies for close friends I trust with such a treasure. It feels a bit dismissive to say it's my favorite album of 2003; it's also a woefully selfish and provincial view of a work that I hope will someday find a broader audience and receive the greater praise it is due.