Kindness of the World

Kindness of the World
Studio album by
Joe Henry
Released1993
GenreAlternative country, folk
LabelMammoth[1]
ProducerJoe Henry
Joe Henry chronology
Short Man's Room
(1992) 		Kindness of the World
(1993) 		Fireman's Wedding EP
(1994)

Kindness of the World is an album by the American musician Joe Henry, released in 1993.[2][3]

In 2006, Henry referred to Kindness of the World as alternative country—although he didn't consider that to be a defined genre when he made the album—and expressed regret over its recording process.[4] Henry supported the album by touring with Jimmie Dale Gilmore.[5]

Production

The album was produced by Henry, with Brian Paulson helping to engineer.[6][7][8] He was backed by members of the Jayhawks, as well as by Mike Russell.[2][9] Kindness of the World was recorded at Daniel Lanois's studio, in New Orleans.[10] "I Flew Over Our House Last Night" is a cover of the Tom T. Hall song.[11] The title track is a duet with Victoria Williams.[12] Henry wrote the originals as they came to him, and tried not to overwork them.[13] The album includes an unlisted track.[14]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[16]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[17]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[7]
(The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide[18]

Entertainment Weekly wrote that Henry's "plain-sung, pedal-steel-pierced vignettes ... plumb America’s psyche with a classicist’s, not a provocateur’s, perspective."[17] Trouser Press thought that "the songs are so fine that such eclecticism doesn’t call attention to itself; Kindness of the World sounds completely organic and thought-out."[12] The New York Times concluded that "Henry is fond of waltzes and ballads; it's easy to imagine Willie Nelson singing 'She Always Goes', and waltzes like 'This Close to You' could be last-call honky-tonk anthems."[19]

Stereo Review noted that "in spare but telling language Henry evokes the romantic fatalism at the heart of the country-music mythos in 'She Always Goes'."[20] The Austin American-Statesman considered the album to be one of 1993's best, writing that, where Henry's songwriting "formerly flirted with the elliptical and oblique, his material has become as elemental and direct on the surface as it is multilayered beneath it."[21] The Atlanta Journal-Constitution determined that the songs "have a lived-in, rustic feel, a sustained understatement that throws the singer's mature narratives and life sketches to the forefront."[22] The News & Observer listed it as the tenth best album of 1993.[23]

Reviewing Henry's Trampoline, Spin deemed Kindness of the World "mellow to a fault."[24] (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide labeled it Henry's "first consistently compelling collection."[18]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."One Day When the Weather Is Warm" 
2."Fireman's Wedding" 
3."She Always Goes" 
4."This Close to You" 
5."Kindness of the World" 
6."Third Reel" 
7."Dead to the World" 
8."I Flew Over Our House Last Night" 
9."Some Champions" 
10."Buckdancer's Choice" 
11."Who Would Know" 

References

  1. ^ "Songlines – Kindness of the World by Joe Henry". Guitar Player. Vol. 28, no. 3. Mar 1994. p. 118.
  2. ^ a b "Joe Henry Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Joe Henry Returns to His Roots". NPR.
  4. ^ "An Interview with Joe Henry". The Believer. October 1, 2006.
  5. ^ "Starlight". Arizona Daily Star. October 15, 1993. p. 19E.
  6. ^ "Album reviews — Kindness of the World by Joe Henry". Billboard. Vol. 105, no. 43. Oct 23, 1993. p. 90.
  7. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 545.
  8. ^ Walsh, Jim (December 31, 1993). "Producing Is Music to His Ears". St. Paul Pioneer Press. p. 1B.
  9. ^ Morrison, Jim (October 15, 1993). "CD Reviews". Preview. The Virginian-Pilot. p. 8.
  10. ^ The Rough Guide to Rock (2 ed.). Rough Guides Ltd. 2003. p. 462.
  11. ^ Allen, Jim (November 29, 2017). "Singer-Songwriter and Producer Joe Henry Shares in Durham". Indy Week.
  12. ^ a b "Joe Henry". Trouser Press. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  13. ^ Miller, Michael (November 5, 1993). "Henry Meshes Poetic Images – with Folky, Roots-Rock Music". The State. p. 11D.
  14. ^ Daly, Mike (March 10, 1994). "Ballads are best in Henry's offering". Green Guide. The Age. p. 14.
  15. ^ "Kindness of the World". AllMusic.
  16. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 4. MUZE. p. 253.
  17. ^ a b "Kindness of the World". Entertainment Weekly.
  18. ^ a b (The New) Rolling Stone Album Guide. Simon & Schuster. 2004. pp. 376–377.
  19. ^ Pareles, Jon (2 Oct 1993). "A Turn Toward Country". The New York Times. p. 19.
  20. ^ "Popular music – Kindness of the World by Joe Henry". Stereo Review. Vol. 59, no. 2. Feb 1994. p. 138.
  21. ^ McLeese, Don (12 Oct 1993). "Joe Henry Kindness of the World". Austin American-Statesman. p. E5.
  22. ^ Dollar, Steve (October 9, 1993). "'Kindness' Rings with Rare Authenticity". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. L28.
  23. ^ Menconi, David (January 7, 1994). "Rewind: the best albums of '93". What's Up. The News & Observer. p. 10.
  24. ^ Kreilkamp, Ivan (Jul 1996). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 12, no. 4. p. 92.