Bruce Henderson - Beyond The Pale
(Paradigm)

Fear, intrigue, and frustration grip the latest album from former Hearts And Minds singer Bruce Henderson. That Henderson was diagnosed with cancer just before the album's release in the early spring makes these 10 songs sound eerily prescient.

Staying chiefly within tried, true, but not tired alt-country/singer-songwriter confines, there's a whole lotta angstin' on Beyond The Pale. The brooding ballad "I Wanted To" mines a catalog of missed opportunities, from quitting a job to shooting a man down in cold blood for taking something of his. The something is never defined, and it doesn't sound like it matters much in the end. The passion is there. "Bone Tired" is a stately portrait of weariness, and it boasts a hell of a chorus hook. "I Never Lost An Arm" rolls and churns on, almost reminiscent of The Wallflowers' "One Headlight." If the strength and fire in these songs are any indication, Henderson is mentally well-equipped to kick cancer's ass.

YEAH YEAH YEAH, 1999