Henry's Dream
It's been reported that Nick Cave hatesHenry's Dream. While it is deeply flawed, especially by Cave's formidable standards, he's being unnecessarily hard on this 1992 collection. Aside from any other considerations, it contains "Papa Won't Leave You, Henry," a rumbling gospel epic that remains a concert highlight, and "Straight to You," an exquisite devotional ballad. It is an odd album, however. Just when its predecessor,The Good Son, seemed to hint that Cave had accepted his natural facility for performing heroically overwrought ballads,Henry's Dreamis a partial return to the gloomy Old Testament portents of "Your Funeral My Trial" and "First Born Is Dead." That's no problem--"Christina the Astonishing" and "Brother My Cup Is Empty" are especially fine. But it leavesHenry's Dreamfeeling rather like it's two halves of separate, half-finished albums.--Andrew Mueller