Bruce Hornsby

As a long time session player in the early 80’s, Bruce Hornsby came out of nowhere around ’86 to score the album that pretty much defined his sound as a solo artist. The Adult Contemporary glare of "The Way It Is," "Mandolin Rain," and "Every Little Kiss" burst off of his blockbuster debut The Way It Is. That set the tone for the Hornsby sound – one of splashy keyboard arrangements and artificial sounding rhythm accompaniment. Catchy and melancholy nonetheless, Hornsby’s sound eventually molded into more organic textures as his work with the Grateful Dead in the early 90’s began to reflect in his own solo albums, minus the synth friendly band The Range. With more sparse folk and subtle jazz, alongside album guests that included Steve Kimock, Jerry Garcia, Pat Metheny, and Bela Fleck, Hornsby made some of his most focused music. Even though 2002’s big beat electronica Big Swing Face was a big disappointment, you had to give Bruce some points for at least trying to be cool.

Now with his latest release, Halcyon Days, he invites Oprah friendly guests - Sting, Eric Clapton and Elton John to the mix. It’s destined to hit the adult contemporary charts with fill steam, but in terms of scoring artistically forward points, Hornsby takes a step back to the Reagan era.

Halcyon may mean being "at peace," but the album is more a reflection of comfort in one’s own skin. From the oddball lyrics and 80’s flavored sounds, it’s hard to wonder if Hornsby is going through a confusing time himself. The familiar wishy washy synthesizers of the early hits return in "Circus On The Moon." The opener, "Gonna Be Some Changes Made" features drum machine rhythm and Sting’s back-up vocals strangely reminiscent of Dire Strait’s "Money For Nothing." And the best song on the album, "Dreamland," is a chilling ballad that gets bruised with John’s guest vocal spot, providing more flake than substance. It’s capped off with "What The Hell Happened" and the "what do I do with my life themed– "Mirror On The Wall." If these lyrics are reflective of where Hornsby is at, I sympathize with him. If not, lets just hope these are passing Halcyon Days.