Joseph Arthur, a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist from Akron (Ohio) who had relocated to New York and immersed himself in the city's intelligentsia, produced an album of striking originality, Big City Secrets (RealWorld, 1997), that wed electronica, soul balladry, folksinging and hard-rock. The eclectic collection boasted such diverse material as the stark Leonard Cohen-esque meditation Crying Like A Man, the disorienting shuffle Big City Secrets (Hall & Oates for the digital age), the dejected Nick Drake-ian lament Daddy's On Prozac, the rocking power-ballad Birthday Card, the litany grafted on an Irish square dance Mikel K, and a couple of ballads over syncopated electronic dance rhythms (Mercedes and Good About Me). The most creative arrangements were perhaps Marina, a psichedelic ditty a` la Brit-pop with horn fanfare and pounding drums, and the viscous Porcupine, riding over swampy exotic percussion.
Arthur belongs to the generation of existential storytellers and arrangers such as Beck and Jeff Buckley, but his debt to the melancholy songwriters of the past is more evident. The album was followed by the EP Vacancy (Under Cover Music Group, 1999).

Come To Where I'm From (Virgin, 2000), a far less adventurous album, dispensed with the digital ambitions and aimed for simpler and catchier songs such as In The Sun, a classic-sounding pop aria, Ashes Everywhere, stately and melodic like early Neil Young, Chemical, that blends soothing vocals a` la Byrds and a harsher riff a` la Tom Petty, Tattoo, a grand semi-waltzing hymn-like lullaby, Cockroach, that borrows a bit of Syd Barrett's psychedelic madness and a bit of Gram Parsons' hippie harmonies. The standout is probably the one screaming and rocking song on the album, Exhausted. The most articulate arrangements are to be found in the claustrophobic Eyes On My Back (a spare piano elegy) and the gloomy Invisible Hands (an electronic trip-hop). The whole is compact, profound and compelling. Throughout the eclectic proceedings he maintains an elegant composure that he eventually loses in the rambling Creation Of A Stain. Other than that, Arthur's journey is as smooth as a loner's gaze into the abyss.

Arthur released 18 new tracks on 4 EPs titled Junkyard Hearts.

Another sprawling collection, Redemption's Son (Real World, 2002), does not add anything to what Arthur already said but does test the patience of the listener, as most of these songs are filler. The title-track is a harrowing account of a death, and Dear Lord is a Van Morrison-ian sermon. That's about it. Arthur's proverbial care in crafting ornate soundscapes for his stories is at a peak, but his inspiration for writing those stories is not.

Arthur briefly toyed with a trio named Holding The Void, who released Holding The Void (2003).

Our Shadows Will Remain (Vector, 2004) is a humbler effort that returns to the basics. A Smile That Explodes, a duet with Julia Darling, and the thunderous Stumble and Pain, with a string orchestra, are typical of how Arthur may lose direction when he's at his best.

Nuclear Daydream (2006) contains Enough To Get Away. Let's Just Be (2007), credited to The Lonely Astronauts, is an 80-minute album that contains perhaps 10 minutes of mediocre music and 70 minutes of utterly disposable songs, including the 20-minute noise experiment Lonely Astronaut and the nine-minute closer, Star Song.

After a second album with The Lonely Astronauts, Temporary People (2008), which was even worse, he formed a trio called Fistful of Mercy with guitarist Ben Harper and Dhani Harrison (guitars, bass and keyboards) who released As I Call You Down (2010).

Another power-trio, RNDM, with Pearl Jam's bassist Jeff Ament and drummer Richard Stuverud, released Acts (2012) and Ghost Riding (2016).

The Graduation Ceremony (2011) was another disappointing solo album, followed by the ambitious double-disc concept Redemption City (2012), The Ballad of Boogie Christ (2013) and The Ballad of Boogie Christ Act II (2013), which were the highlights of the 2010s and were billed as "psychedelic soul", the cover album Lou (2014), which consists of twelve Lou Reed covers, Days of Surrender (2015), The Family (2016), a collection of piano ballads, and Come Back World (2019).

Arthur also formed a duo with R.E.M.'s guitarist Peter Buck, documented on Arthur Buck (2018) and Arthur Buck 2 (2025).