This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
The front and back covers of tastefully twisted troubadour Joe Henry’s latest album show him with a howling monkey on his back and crying over spilt milk. That pretty much says it all.
In case you didn’t quite get the symbolism, romantic addiction and regret figure heavily on his second CD Fuse. Like a more soulful and intellectual Tom Waits, Joe — who also happens to be Madonna’s brother-in-law — wears his heart on the sleeve of his thrift-store duds, using his stage whisper of a voice to spin abstract tales starring a cast of simians and carnies and set in a world where trip-hop meets folk-pop. And he shares Waits’ way with words; when Joe’s angels talk to him, they say, “Be still you wretched little freak / Give us milk you little pig.” The only tears you’ll cry will be tears of joy.
