Joe Henry is a long-time producer and singer-songwriter whose 14^th album “Thrum” is informed by his love of poetry. Each song’s accompaniment frames the lyrics in an acoustic, serious setting and much like the title of the album, lets the listener interpret the meaning in their own way.

The album is recorded live in the studio direct to tape, which isn’t surprising considering his last album was recorded on a moving train with Billy Bragg. With sparse instrumentation the focus is put on the words of these songs about existential questions and themes of darkness, light, rivers, emotional hunger, loss, rebirth and time.

Henry is a grammy winning producer having worked with Over the Rhine, Bonnie Raitt, Mavis Staples, Mose Allison, the Carolina Chocolate Drops, Solomon Burke, John Doe, Allen Toussaint, Elvis Costello, Rodney Crowell and more. “Thrum” is as rootsy and soulful as all the artists he’s worked with and contributes to his long line of grand, gothic music.

Henry’s music deliberately avoids the obvious, using instead, elegant metaphors left open to interpretation...like all great poetry. 

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