Joe Henry builds songs from rhythm up, transcends label

By David Chang
Daily Bruin Contributor

It’s easy to brand Joe Henry as the prototypical
singer/songwriter. He does indeed write and perform his own
material. He also exudes a sense of mystery, more or less a
prerequisite for the genre. Unpretentious approach to music ““
check. A name with as much one-of-a-kind creativity as a New York
Yankees cap ““ double check.

Despite an image that agrees with seemingly every characteristic
on the singer/songwriter checklist, Henry would rather his good
name not be sullied by such simple-minded categorizations. This
acclaimed solo artist and Los Angeles native will bring his
psychological storytelling and smoky vocals to Largo on April 10
and 17.

Like most artists, Henry is far from pleased when his music is
pigeonholed for the sake of convenience. Other related genres
involuntarily attached to him include country, folk rock and Tin
Pan Alley pop.

“Obviously everybody uses labels to be shorthand and to be
quick in conversation, but I just don’t think they have much
relevance anymore,” Henry said in a telephone interview.
“I’ve been influenced by so many things in a genuinely
profound way, and they all come to play somehow in the music I
write for myself. It’s misleading to classify it as one genre
or another. When people use the term singer/songwriter, I
don’t think it means anything. Ice Cube is a
singer/songwriter, but nobody calls him that.”

However, “singer/songwriter” remains the first thing
that comes to mind when people talk about or listen to
Henry’s music. Yet, Henry is not the conventional
autobiographical songwriter.

“I’m absolutely not setting pages of my diary to
music. I would never use a song as an excuse to get a message out.
I almost never have a preconceived notion on what a song is about
and how to put it in three verses,” Henry said.

Henry’s reluctance to be labeled as a singer/songwriter
clearly does not stem from a preference to be labeled otherwise,
but from a belief that labels should be obsolete by now.

“We’re exposed to everything, and most of us working
today are influenced by so many bare elements,” Henry said.
“There’s no reason to identify with a single musical
idea, musical vocabulary, musical dress code. It’s such a
mess in a beautiful way that it’s kind of hard to unravel
them.”

Growing up, Henry was introduced to various genres including
soul, country, and Italian music. On his latest album,
“Scar,” he got the chance to collaborate with Ornette
Coleman, one of jazz avant-garde’s greatest innovators.

Henry has experienced a noticeable transformation in his
songwriting process. He no longer picks up a guitar and expects a
song to come out of it.

“I’ve built songs from the rhythm up rather then
from the lyrics down. Lyrics used to be the beginning of
everything, and that’s not true anymore,” Henry
said.

Lately, Henry has turned to producing for other artists. He
recently completed a Solomon Burke record that features new songs
by Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, and himself. Henry’s
career has come a long way since his 1989 debut “Murder of
Crows.”

“One thing I’ve learned is that you can just say
no,” Henry said. “When you’re starting out you
think you have to say yes to every opportunity believing you might
not get another one. I’ve learned that it’s
foolish.”