CONCERT REVIEW
Singer Jim Henry chronicles the domestic front
by Seth Rogovoy(NORTH ADAMS, Mass., Feb. 24, 1997) -- Pioneer Valley singer-songwriter Jim Henry entertained the crowd at Milltown Studios on Sunday evening with two sets of his domestic-oriented, original folk-pop compositions, in another well-attended performance in the Music on Main Street series.
Accompanying himself on guitar, which he wields with the command and control of a virtuoso, Henry sang about parents, wives and children and the places he has called home, all with tenderness that avoided sentimentality and with the skill of a master craftsman.
Henry was a genial performer who established an intimate rapport with his lively audience, engaging them with the stories behind his songs and peppering his banter with dry wit.
"Baby's Coming Home" was one of a number of tunes he played that addressed fatherhood. The upbeat, pop-folk tune perfectly captured the pre-natal jitters of an impending dad. "We Think We'll Keep Him" revisits the subject of fatherhood a few years down the road, when the "terrible twos" have struck and the initial awe and excitement has turned into the sort of grim reality that allows one to approach the subject with the black humor implied by the title.
Henry also looked at family relations from the point of view of the child, as in his retelling of an embarrassing family episode concerning contraband in "1967," a spoken-word, story-song that featured some bluesy strumming underneath the tale. "Pals Forever" mined the ambivalent tensions inherent in a father-son relationship, and "Louise" was a sympathetic portrait of an aging couple abandoned by their children.
In songs like "Broken Man" and "Kansas," Henry's talent for characterization through dramatic detail were at their strongest. Henry was equally skillful in his evocations of individuals and places, and his vignettes were artistic snapshots that captured the essence of situations with a minimal amount of description.
Henry was an able vocalist, boasting a smooth, resonant baritone that suited his pleasant, country-folk melodies. Some of his catchier tunes were reminiscent of James Taylor, and one listener aptly described a novelty about a bizarre Texas roadhouse as sounding like "James Taylor meets Lyle Lovett."
Henry also treated the audience to a sampling of his instrumental skills, including a lively ode to a Golden Retriever, "When Maggie Comes to Visit," and "Minor Swing," a Django Reinhardt composition which is included on Henry's new duet album, "Ring Some Changes" (Signature Sounds), recorded with fellow Northampton singer/songwriter/guitarist Brooks Williams.
The opening act was a local amateur who was put in front of an audience long before she was ready and whom I will spare the embarrassment of naming. She introduced one original number saying, "This one I wrote when I was in tenth grade." Those words are enough to make the heart sink in even the most generous listener.
[This review originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Feb. 26, 1997. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1997. All rights reserved.]
Seth Rogovoy
rogovoy@berkshire.net
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