Joe Henry Releases Remastered Edition of "Invisible Hour"

Over the course of this year, Joe Henry set out to re-release three of his most acclaimed albums that defined his coming-of-age as a record maker. With today’s release of Invisible Hour, the momentous reissue trilogy now comes to an end.

Released for the first time in 2014, Invisible Hour followed a very busy period for Joe Henry who produced songs for Bonnie Raitt's Grammy-winning 2012 album Slipstream, and albums for the likes of Billy Bragg, Rodney Crowell and Mary Karr, Natalie Duncan, Hugh Laurie and Over the Rhine. In his own body of work, "Invisible Hour" was preceded by Henry’s acclaimed records Blood From Stars (2009) and Reverie (2011).

"After courting the particular chaos that was both Blood From Stars and Reverie, I heard an ask that accompanied the new songs arriving that would ultimately become the album Invisible Hour; and the ask was simply that I allow beauty, wherever it occurred, to remain just that: beautiful. No need to send my voice chasing through a haunted house; no requirement to smear anyone’s lipstick out of hand." Henry reflects.

Working together with recording engineer Ryan Freeland and several other of his closest collaborators, Henry brought the songs to life in his studio at The Garfield House in South Pasadena, California.

"I wanted instead to let the songs stand in the full light of their afternoon; didn’t want to create the impression that any production concept stood between a song and its receiver.”, Henry says about the musical direction of the record. “It was the single direction I offered engineer Ryan Freeland: that he was free and encouraged to let as much of that available light into the picture as possible, obscuring nothing."

As of Friday , the reissue edition of Invisible Hour is available in stores as 180g black double-vinyl in a high-quality gatefold jacket, CD Digipak and for digital download and streaming. It features all album tracks in remastered sound as well as a special selection of bonus material, including alternate versions and demos.

Access Invisible Hour here.  

In addition to Invisible Hour, Henry’s reissue trilogy also includes his 2007 record Civilians and the 2009 album Blood From Stars. All three reissue-albums are available now and pressed on 180g double-vinyl for the very first time. Additionally, they are available as CD Digipak, for streaming and digital download via earMUSIC.

Joe Henry Releases Remastered Edition of "Blood From Stars"

This year, Joe Henry revisits a special trio of albums that represent his coming-of-age as a record maker.

Following the release of the 2024 edition of Civilians, Joe Henry now introduces the second chapter of his reissue trilogy with a remastered version of Blood From Stars. 

Henry's acclaimed 2009 studio album saw him blending the sounds of orchestral blues and jazz with his profound lyrics and captivating vocals.

"I was listening to a lot of country-blues music at the time, and likewise was revisiting the poems of e. e. cummings; and I was fascinated by what I feel connects the two — and I can hear the songs on this particular collection as walking a tightrope between them," Henry explains his creative process and the inspiration for Blood From Stars.

The result is one of his personal favorites amongst his own records.

The reissue edition of Blood From Stars features all original album tracks in newly remastered sound, as well as five rare recordings captured live on-air on KCRW's radio show "Morning Becomes Eclectic," hosted by Jason Bentley in 2009. 

"At a certain period of my working life, Santa Monica radio station KCRW's 'live' performance platform was an integral part of any album's rollout," Henry remarks. "And as such, I can recall being thrilled to push these new songs into the air for the first time, publicly," Henry recounts the importance of the performance on KCRW. "Listening now, I can hear that I was barely keeping a straight face throughout, so delighted was I by the occasion and opportunity."

As of today, the reissue edition of Blood From Stars is available in stores as 180g black double-vinyl in a high-quality gatefold jacket, CD Digipak and for digital download and streaming.

Access Blood From Stars here.

In addition to Blood From Stars, Henry's reissue trilogy also includes his 2007 record Civilians and the 2014 album Invisible Hour. All three reissue-albums will be pressed on 180g double-vinyl for the very first time and additionally be made available as CD Digipak, for streaming and digital download via earMUSIC.

FORMATS:
CD Digipak
Black 2LP Gatefold
Digital Download/Streaming
 
2024 Reissue Trilogy
Civilians — August 23
Blood From Stars — October 18
Invisible Hour — December 6

Joe Henry Unveils Remastered Edition Of 2007 Album "Civilians"

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.

Joe Henry Presents Reissues Trilogy Of Three Acclaimed Albums

Joe Henry is one of the artists who have shaped the sound of modern American folk and blues music like hardly anyone else. Not only is Henry a GRAMMY Award-winning producer, but also a well-respected and prolific artist in his own right.

In 2024, Joe Henry is set to release three of his most acclaimed studio records for the first time on vinyl via earMUSIC, featuring a special selection of unheard bonus tracks as well as intimate demos and live recordings from his personal archives.

"With this new reissue series, I find there's something unexpectedly compelling to me about revisiting this particular trio of albums as, together, these volumes represent my sort of 'coming-of-age' as a record maker, in that I stopped observing any border between a song's composition and its studio articulation. It all became a single impulse for me...conjured into fruition right there in my basement," Henry reflects on the reissue series.

Civilians, the first of the three, invites the listener on a journey into Henry's poetic lyricism. While writing the album, Henry found himself going back to an old-fashioned approach of songwriting, starting most songs on acoustic guitar and adding significant production only later on during the process. Recorded in Henry's studio in Pasadena, long time collaborators like Loudon Wainwright III, Bill Frisell, Greg Leisz, and Van Dyke Parks have influenced the sound of the album alongside Henry.

Pre-order Civilians here.

Blood From Stars, Henry's 2009 record, sees him exploring the realms of orchestral blues and jazz. During the time, Henry was listening to a lot of country-blues and revisiting poems by writers like e.e. cummings — two forms of art that he says strongly influenced the sound of the record. With his evocative lyrics and soulful vocal delivery, Henry crafts a poignant narrative on what he calls one of his personal favorites amongst his own records.

Pre-order Blood From Stars here.

Rounding out the trilogy is Invisible Hour, one of Henry's more recent works. Recorded in 2013, it features several of his closest musical companions, including Lisa Hannigan and best-selling novelist Colum McCann. Henry describes the songs on the album as "songs pertaining in some ways to the subject of marriage — marriage as a verb, not a noun." The album tells a captivating story about resilience and the redemptive power of love.

Pre-order Invisible Hour here.

All three albums will be pressed on 180g double-vinyl and additionally be made available as CD Digipak, for streaming and digital download via earMUSIC, with the official pre-order starting today.