Joe Henry: Fuse

Though Joe Henry has always been a fine pseudo-folk-rocker, until the arrival of his most recent album Trampoline, he was often known as Madonna's brother-in-law first and a talented songwriter second. Since the release of that masterful and haunting record, however, the order has been switched: The new Fuse is by a great songwriter who also happens to be related to… well, someone famous. Again boasting the not-quite-mainstream mixing assistance of Henry's frequent studio collaborators T-Bone Burnett and Daniel Lanois, Fuse continues to develop Trampoline's spooky style of bluesy Americana, though it's possible that the results might meet with a bit more commercial success this time around. One reason is the subtle yet soulful power of songs like the title track and "Want Too Much"; another is the presence of one Jakob Dylan on backing vocals. But no matter whom he collaborates with—Trampoline, after all, prominently featured Helmet guitarist Page Hamilton—Henry is clearly the one in charge. Slow and steady seems to be the theme of Fuse, as things rarely get more invigorating than "Skin And Teeth" and "Great Lake," which are still pretty sedate. The rest is highly sensual and hypnotic, thanks in part to Henry's low-key delivery and dark, enigmatic lyrics. Still, the funereal "Beautiful Hat" (featuring The Dirty Dozen) turns out to be a song of sad beauty only disguised as a depressing dirge, and the oft-covered WWII-era standard that closes the album, "We'll Meet Again," ends the proceedings on a welcome and relatively upbeat note.