Gifted songwriter and vocalist Joe Henry is known for his intimate and richly detailed songs shaped by an eclectic musical world view, encompassing the sounds of rock, folk, country, soul and jazz. In 2024, he revisits a special trio of albums that represent his "coming-of-age" as a record maker. All three albums will be issued on vinyl for the very first time as part of the 2024 reissue series.
Starting off the series, today Henry unveils a remastered edition of his acclaimed 2007 studio album Civilians. The 2024 edition features all original album tracks in remastered sound as well as four previously unreleased demos from Joe’s personal archives. Henry describes Civilians as a very intentional record that took him back to a traditional approach of songwriting. Instead of working from loops and samples, he found himself going back to the idea of starting songs on his guitar and putting a big importance on crafting the lyrics. The four additional demos on the 2024 edition of the album add tremendously to this acoustic-driven, visceral intimacy of Civilians and allow the listener to dive even deeper into Henry’s poetic lyricism.
Accompanying the release of the reissue edition is the launch of a restored performance video of "Time Is A Lion" on earMUSIC’s YouTube channel. According to Henry, the song functions as a major key stone for the sound and narrative of Civilians.
"'Time is A Lion' is one of the earliest songs I had for Civilians. It kind of came out of nowhere, and it was the beginning, kind of the building block." Henry describes the importance of the song, "It was maybe the second or third song we recorded. I think it became a template for the record in a certain way, certainly as a tonality and lyrical stance. It sort of sets the table for everything else."
The reissue edition of Civilians is available in stores as of today as black double-vinyl in a high-quality gatefold jacket, CD Digipak and for digital download and streaming.
Besides Civilians, the reissue trilogy also includes Henry’s 2009 record Blood From Stars and the 2014 album Invisible Hour. All three reissue-albums will be pressed on 180g double-vinyl and additionally be made available as CD Digipak, for streaming and digital download via earMUSIC.
Access Civilians here.
