Inside Job

1	Nobody Else in the World But You 4:50
2	Taking You Home 5:31
3	For My Wedding 3:37
4	Everything Is Different Now 5:13
5	Working It 5:37
6	Goodbye to a River 5:49
7	Inside Job 4:50
8	They're Not Here, They're Not Coming 5:59
9	Damn It Rose 7:13
10	Miss Ghost 6:41
11	The Genie 5:45
12	Annabel 3:41
13	My Thanksgiving 5:12

Barnes & Noble

It's been more than ten years since Don Henley released his last album, THE END OF THE INNOCENCE. In the intervening decade, he's recorded and toured with his old band the Eagles; he's founded the Walden Woods Project, an ecological conservation in memory of Thoreau; and he's gotten married and had two children. A seasoned vet, Henley isn't content to repeat the same themes and sounds, and the songs on INSIDE JOB reflect his most recent life experiences by hewing to two major themes: accountability for one's actions, and domestic bliss. "Goodbye to a River" is a hymn-like ballad that chastises the captains of industry for polluting our rivers. "Damn It Rose" describes a mother's suicide and the child left behind. But Henley isn't out to bring us down; rather, he implores us to face our problems rather than run away from them. Like many tracks here, "Damn It Rose" boasts a gripping mix of Texas cool and California hipness: Lead guitars with a Southern tone mingle with acoustic strumming and organ, as Henley's raspy vocals lead the way. He keeps that sound current by drawing on Jimmie Vaughan and his buddies from Tom Petty's Heartbreakers -- producer Stan Lynch, guitarist Mike Campbell, and keyboardist Benmont Tench. Henley may be preaching about activism and singing love songs to his family, but he's crafted one of the most meticulously produced, emotionally rich albums of his career. Don Bergenty

All Music Guide

Don Henley essentially sat out his '90s recording contract, waiting until he could sign to another label that would allow him greater artistic freedom and royalties. He finally signed to Warner and released his fourth solo album, Inside Job, in the spring of 2000. Considering his long absence from recording, it shouldn't come as a total surprise that the album sounds as if it could have been cut in 1990 or even 1986 (check out the obnoxious synth solo on the opening track). That is not entirely a bad thing, however. It would have been rather embarrassing if Henley was trying to run with the young boys, and he sounds very comfortable settling into a role that is something less than an old master and something more than a crotchety old-timer. It falls somewhere between that, since his simmering anger -- always apparent but raised to the surface on his solo records -- still can be heard, which makes him seem a little cranky on occasion, when he gets carried away with his temper. For the most part, though, he sounds relaxed, comfortable, and reflective on Inside Job, more so than he ever has. The heart of the record is in the slower numbers, where he honestly lays out his feelings about his new love and marriage. Whenever he sticks to personal relationships, and thereby gentler music, Inside Job stays winning. It's brought down when he steps up to the podium to rail against the modern world, but this isn't quite enough to sink the record. Inside Job lacks the melodic craftsmanship that made Building the Perfect Beast a blockbuster, and it isn't as focused as The End of the Innocence, but it is a solid comeback record from an artist who spent a little too long out of the spotlight. Stephen Thomas Erlewine