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Civilians has as many stories attached as any record Henry's written, but they're so finely crafted now that the singer almost disappears in their flickering appearances on the wall of the mind of the listener.
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His first recording of his own material in four years reminds that he has few peers among contemporary singer-songwriters.
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Henry's superb Civilians succeeds not only as a melodic collection of poignant short stories, but also as a potent picture book of America gone wrong.
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Civilians matches Henry's rough croon with a rich, warm sound that instantly draws you into its sonic world. You won't want to leave.
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Over the course of 10 albums, Joe Henry’s music has grown increasingly rich, complex and difficult.
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While not a party record, not an album to bring to an Indian summer barbeque, this album remains powerful and exquisite.
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Q MagazineCivilians is the most approachable and coherent of his recent offerings. [Oct 2007, p.98]
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Even in its rare maudlin and melodramatic moments, the album is saved its many precise, stainless sounds: Henry's compassionate, reverb-shaken voice, Bill Frisell's excellent fretwork, a bewitched pump organ, a snare hit that always echoes a bit too long.
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The 12 songs are rhythmically warm and appealing thanks to Jay Bellirose’s spare-cymballed drumming and the beautifully knotty guitars of Henry, Bill Frisell, and Greg Leisz.