Don Henley – Inside Job (2000/2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Produced by Don Henley and Stan Lynch, Inside Job was released in 2000 and is Don Henley’s last album of all-new material to date. It peaked at #7 on the US Billboard 200 chart.

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

Tracklist:
01. Don Henley – Nobody Else In The World But You (04:50)
02. Don Henley – Taking You Home (05:31)
03. Don Henley – For My Wedding (03:37)
04. Don Henley – Everything Is Different Now (05:13)
05. Don Henley – Workin’ It (05:37)
06. Don Henley – Goodbye To A River (05:49)
07. Don Henley – Inside Job (04:50)
08. Don Henley – They’re Not Here, They’re Not Coming (05:59)
09. Don Henley – Damn It, Rose (07:13)
10. Don Henley – Miss Ghost (06:42)
11. Don Henley – The Genie (05:45)
12. Don Henley – Annabel (03:41)
13. Don Henley – My Thanksgiving (05:09)

Personnel:
Don Henley – drums, guitar, piano, lead vocals, keyboards
Gregg Bissonette – drums
Stuart Brawley – songwriter, musician, engineer, programmer
Jebin Bruni, John Corey, Timothy Drury – musician
Don Felder – lead guitar, vocals
Michael Fisher – musician
Glenn Frey – guitar, vocals, piano, keyboards
Bob Glaub – bass
Stevie Gurr – musician
Larry Klein – guitars
Valerie Carter, Kevin Dorsey, Dorian Holley, Joseph Powell, Darryl Phinnessee, Carmen Twillie, Monalisa Young, Terry Young, Mervyn Warren, Julia Waters, Luther Waters, Maxine Waters, Oren Waters, Jana Anderson, Kipp Lennon, Mark Lennon, Michael Lennon, Pat Lennon, Michael Mishaw – background vocals
Lance Morrison – musician
Randy Newman – conductor
David Paich – keyboards
Dean Parks – guitars
Tim Pierce – guitars
Frank Simes – guitars
Steuart Smith – guitars
Benmont Tench – keyboards, organ, piano
Jimmie Vaughan – harmonica, vocals
Jai Winding – bass
Stevie Wonder – keyboards, background vocals
Randy Jackson – musician