Retro Review: Bruce Hornsby - Big Swing Face - RCA/BMG
June 1, 2004 - Here's an album that invites envy. Here's an album that tells it like it is- an album that represents a musician not keeping his eye on the industry but on his own adventurous vision. In 1993 when I first met Bruce Hornsby he told me in no uncertain terms that he had no time for "the posers" in the music industry - the wanna-be musicians whose "whole trip is based on a pose." Before Christmas last years he said "virtuosity has never been part of what Pop or even Rock music was about." 'Big Swing Face' will never make it in the top ten. It will not be on high rotation on Much Music or MTV but for the ones who love to mix up old formulas and expand the range - so to speak, this is for you. Quiet simply if pop's a yawner for you then buy this album.

' Big Swing Face,' like its predecessors, serves up a reinvented Hornsby - a braver musician than the time before. The album has almost no piano - interesting considering his trademark chops on hits like 'The Way It Is' or the bouncy jazzy 'Talk of the Town'. Hornsby goes for a Bluesy funk feel on this one and it's really a lot of fun.

The first single 'Sticks and Stones' about name calling that sticks to the bone is as catchy as anything he's done before but it's fuzzy-keys sound doesn't fit in any particular box. I know radio programmers, they'll be scared off by this one. The haunted house tale 'The Chill' is trademark Hornsby catchy harmonized chorus with a hint of mystery. 'This Too Shall Pass,' while having a electronica drumbeat, revisits that familiar Hornsby melancholy feel with an underbelly of optimism. The sing-a-long playful 'Take Out the Trash' again mixes the old with the new, it's bluesy with very modern drum loops. 'The Good Life' is a tale of retail therapy "I don't need this but it's so cheap visions of a bargain in my sleep" it's as if he's saying "the things we do to keep smiling!" My only complaint about 'Big Swing Face' is it's length - the whole album is only forty six minutes long. Bruce Hornsby built this album by cutting the fat - sure he tore down the house but he did recycle just enough. He's using new toys, having more fun and it suits him fine. I can't wait to hear what he does next. - by John Beaudin

Retro Review: Bruce Hornsby - Here Come The Noise Makers - RCA - released October, 2000
Oct. 20, 2000 - Some people remember where they were when JFK was shot, I prefer to recall cherished introductions to songs that changed my life. Those classic moments are etched in all our brains, maybe it's hearing a poignant lyric that just puts the pieces together when your at a crossroads or a new sound that expands your idea of what music should sound like. In 1986, Bruce Hornsby touched me on both counts with 'The Way It is' an innocent uncorrupted view of racism down south that brought the piano back to the Pop charts. In the middle of the techno beat and Crotch-rock of the 80's Hornsby put a new spin into the top 40 with a sound that was a little Leon Russell and a lot of Keith Jarrett, not your usual recipe on radio! Even Elton John congratulated Hornsby on his amazing piano chops saying he was so inspired he went back to playing a grand.

What happened since then ? Well Hornsby moved on adding more Jazz & Blues on albums like 'Harbor Lights' and 'Hothouse,' in fact, his whole musical plan was always about moving up to the next level . Sure, Hornsby hasn't had a big hit in years but I think he'd be the first to tell you exploring without being genre specific is the only way to fly. Here's a guy who never does the same song the same way twice, his concerts are an exercise in improvisation, going with what feels and sounds right and if you've had the pleasure you know it's an experience that adds dept to your musical life.

This groundbreaking Live two CD set will stretch you in all the right places with 18 tunes recorded between November 1998 and his famous Millinium New Years show in 2000 . You'll love what Hornsby does with 'The Way it is' adding subtle Piano interludes and even more heart than the original, if you can imagine that. 'The Valley Road' is slowed down to a delicious crawl making it sound like a brand new piece but the hightlights on this album are the songs that bounce loudly, the good Driving Numbers. Take your pick 'Great Divide', 'Spider Fingers' or 'Rainbow's Cadillac' are all built with an experimental driving feel good spirit. It's more Artistic than Commercial but it's the best live album in my collection. - - By John Beaudin

Retro Review: Bruce Hornsby-Spirit Trail (double CD) BMG Records - released October, 1998
Oct. 16, 1998 - No one could ever accuse Hornsby of not paying attention. Every lyric on 'Spirit Trail,' his sixth album, describes his unquenchable thirst to understand what were all doing here. Stripped down, his lyric sheets look more like realistic views on sociology than anything that should be shoved in a jewel box. In an era where most artists have problems believing what they sing, Hornsby is very much real.

From the albums opening Bluesy pick-me-up, 'King Of The Hill,' a look at an insecure 'big fish in a small pond' to an old mans regrets in spite of his health and wealth on 'Fortunate Son,' Hornsby delivers his best in years.

The most potent track, 'Line In The Dust,' question's our hidden agenda's and justifications in long term relationships, wrapped by gale-force keyboards not heard since Don Henley's 'Dirty Laundry.' This is a combination of both phases of Hornsby's career - the honest southern pop that radio loved and his Jazz/blues creative overhauls on song structure. The good news? The marriage works! - by John Beaudin