Music Review

Joel Henderson is a singer/songwriter from Louisville whose latest release is a low-key mix of tunes about the challenges of growing up and facing maturity. These songs would fit comfortably on an Americana format radio station. No one is going to rock out to Locked Doors and Pretty Fences, but the songs might inspire some thinking.

Sometimes being responsible doesn’t sound like much fun; sometimes relationships that would seem to last forever are over, and Henderson sets those ideas to mostly acoustic arrangements. His style is not fussy and “Learning to Love Loneliness” is a good example of how Henderson’s spare sound can hit home. Just Henderson, a guitar, and an occasional piano riff tell of loneliness and finding the beauty in that melancholy.

“Baby I’m So Over You,” on the other hand, is a little more sassy.

Henderson is scheduled to play small clubs in Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee. To find out more about hearing Henderson live, check out joelhenderson.com.