Hotel Lives

Hotel Lives finds Joyner opening up his box of demons and putting them to rest, one by one. His lyrics are those rare ones that could just as easily read as a book of spectacular poetry, but they're truly brought to life on the album by an impressive cast of collaborators. Not the least of these is producer Michael Krassner, who captures every expression of misery, pain, and redemption with a remarkably adept hand. Virtually every member of the legendary Boxhead Ensemble's new line-up is here; pianist Will Hendricks, drummer Glenn Kotche, and a host of other instrumentalists color cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm's sparse arrangements with painterly strokes.