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1 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 WITNESS TO MUSICAL GENIUS Dec 08, 2008
The evolution of an artist: I got this CD August 2008. I have strong feelings about this album & I want to give some opinions. This album was nominated for a Grammy Award. No doubt Bruce tops himself once again with "Gonna Be Some Changes Made" and with "Circus On the Moon." On a scale of 1 to 10, these two top star songs rank 15. They are SHEER BRILLIANCE. The third top star song in this CD that ranks the same is "Candy Mountain Run." I fell head over heels in love with "Candy Mountain Run" when I first heard it in "Intersections." In this very astonishing version, however, Bruce really gives it a more distinctive Appalachian Mountain bluegrass sound that makes this particular version really seem like it was picked out from the pages of traditional folklore. (Also check out the rendition in Intersections.)
Bruce experiments with new & different sounds--for example: orchestra, composition styles in piano solos, and unique sounds to some songs, but don't fear, it's still Bruce--he hasn't gone anywhere, and he comes shining through. I was deeply impressed with some works in this album! Bruce's voice is just gorgeous in "Gonna Be Some Changes Made." There's a long introduction to this song (well done), the melody starts at 48 seconds into the introduction, and the lyrics begin at 1:06 minutes. It's too good (also TOO SHORT at 5:19 minutes because I would have wished this song to be longer)! The drums sound is sophisticated and the music mix and sound is very very sophisticated. Unusual at first, but truly spectacular. This version is better than the live version heard both in "Intersections" and on the video "Three Nights On the Town." It is PURE and unadulterated PERFECTION. "Circus On the Moon," has orchestra (it must have cost him a fortune), and its lyrics (rich in images) seem to represent what's going on in his life/career. You only get a mere glimpse, but it keeps you guessing as to what his lyrics or words really mean to him and makes you want to view between the lines. Does he feel unjustly treated with inattention? What MESS did he clean up? Was it the switchover to Columbia from RCA (or was it just a mess in his garage, and he just wants to fool his fans with fancy lyrics)!? I sure would like to know. The piano solo of "Circus On the Moon" is absolutely unbelievable! It starts at 3:10 minutes and goes on until 4:14 minutes when the composition style shifts, and the piano solo ends completely at 4:26 mintues. The sound is so absolutely rich, complex, and unusual. Listen to how it progresses--sheer absolute genius! Listen carefully to all the notes--this is an unbelievably beautiful composition and execution. Gourmet candy for the ears.
#5 Halcyon Days has a softer dreamier sound and this is also one of my favorites for sure.
#3 Dreamland is a lullaby. The music & lyrics are good.
#7 Hooray For Tom was done for Bruce's son not wanting to go to school. The song tells of a child and a Spelling Bee. (In my middle school years there was a kid who always got D's--the cool crowd ignored him until he won either the County Spelling Bee or the State Spelling Bee each year! We'd cheer him when he returned a winner--each year. "I won" he'd say returning to class w/a half smile, nonchalant & w/I-won-again attitude. This is a TRUE story. He was just bluffing the D stuff!)
Three more great songs:
#8 Heir Gordon has really AWESOME piano. The outline melody is simple, but the piano is over-the-top AWESOME. Once again Bruce's piercing lyrics bring to light human imperfection. Because of his impressive piano composition and playing, this song ranks at least a 10--how can you not be dazzled!
#9 Mirror On the Wall
#11 Lost In the Snow
Bruce's lyrics are always exceptionally intelligent, very mysterious and deeply insightful with a superb play on words. Other than a couple of unprincelike words, Bruce is definitely getting better at lyrics as he evolves as an artist.
I only hope Bruce continues to do what HE wants to do and not be influenced by this or that--thus allowing his musical genius to develop and do its thing. He set himself free from previous restrictions (his choice), and in this CD, you will witness some astonishing music to say the least. I ended up playing my favorite songs from this album over and over and over and still over again.
Bruce IS a prodigy. Trying to hold him back to the times of "Scenes From the Southside" is like trying to prevent a peregrine falcon from flying. Can't do it. He's gifted, he's meant to fly, let him soar. He's getting better and better, if you haven't noticed!!
Purests, have faith in Bruce, he knows what he's doing. I used to be a purest--unable to accept anything else besides "The Way It Is" for quite a while. I then realized I wasn't being fair to this great artist nor to myself as a music fan. Suggestion for purests: Create an altar for "The Way It Is" or whatever you are still in love with. Seriously. Give it its proper worship, but move on and enjoy some of Bruce's other great compositions--and he certainly DOES them. "The Way It Is" IS indeed a super masterpiece, and it isn't going anywhere anytime soon--same goes for other former favorites--they have been carved in STONE--they are here TO STAY. As for Bruce: "Take it to the limit one more time!" I will certainly jump on his next CD as soon as it is released.
In every album there will be some song either I or perhaps somebody else won't care for no matter who does them--even the classical composers of some time ago. What composer can compose non-stop masterpieces all of the time? I get terribly bored with Mozart much of the time. I don't have one single album I play without skipping over a song or two--not Bob Dylan not Edvard Grieg not anyone. However, there is much to choose from in this album, and this CD is surely one of his best!
Just one complaint and one POTSHOT at Bruce:
Complaint: Song F should have been substituted with Song H. I feel very strongly about this. Song H should have been part of a real album--not relegated in some "corner" in Intersections. Song H is a superb piano solo with orchestra.
Potshot: Bruce's song "What the Hell Happened" is "supposed" to be a "funny" song about him being the ugliest of his family, ha! However, I find it absolute fiction and WAY out in left field as this is not even vaguely believable. He may not be photogenic all of the time--THAT'S true, but I am still recovering from seeing him in "Intersections" playing the piano when he sang "The Way It Is" and "Valley Road," and there is a close-up photo of Bruce in this CD. I see an absolutely gorgeous 50 year old. Do I need glasses?
End of Serious Review and beginning of not-so-serious suggestion:
Here's my potshot tall tale pure fiction suggestion for a funny song that is circumstantial rather than phony unbeliebable bad looks type of song:
Title of tall tale song: "3 Nights in Russia: the KGB, Moscow & Apartment #1111"
It's New Years Eve in St. Petersburg, Russia, where Bruce just finished a sold-out concert. During a grand dinner party in Bruce's honor, he meets a young entrepreneur who invites him & the few band members to his apartment in Moscow to chill out the night in anticipation of Bruce's upcoming concert in Moscow. The tipsy crew head off to the airport where Alexei charters a private jet for the group. A substitute pilot picks up the wrong itinerary, and instead of flying the bunch to Moscow, he flies the crew to a nearby city. Unaware they are not in Moscow, the guys board a shuttle that takes them to the waiting cabs where Alexei tells the driver the address. The driver takes them there. Still, no one notices they are not in Moscow--not even Alexei notices because during the Marxist era, everything was done standard--standard streets & names, buildings, etc. They arrive at the same street and same building. Alexei notices nothing different and proceeds to "his" apartment #1111. Even the "standard" key opens the door! The exhausted & tipsy bunch spread and sprawl out on the beds, sofas, carpet, etc. They doze off when the real occupant of the apartment unlocks the door & starts screaming when she turns on the light and sees everyone. A really lively exchange of opinion occurs between the cute chick and Alexei. She picks up the phone and calls her KGB fiance of 6 years (don't believe the rummors--the KGB is still alive and well). He rushes over and punches poor Alexei in the face leaving him with a hurt. The chick nurses his hurt with a cold wet cloth. Alexei asks the KGB agent (now settled in a chair) to please hold his cigarette because he needs to straighten his jacket. The KGB dude says OK and holds Alexei's cigarette in one hand while still pointing his gun with the other. Alexei already in love with the chick and unruffled by all the commotion, straightens his jacket and goes down on his knees, taking the chick's hand telling her she has the hands and lips of an angel and the eyes of a goddess & that he worships the ground she walks on. The door opens and a whole bunch of KGB agents come storming in. The KGB Chief recognizes Bruce (being a huge fan of his), and tells the KGB fiance that Bruce is indeed NOT an American spy but a great American musician! The Chief asks Bruce to please honor the KGB agents with a concert at KGB headquarters, and not to worry about the "minor mixup." Bruce says ok and at KGB headquarters he performs "Candy Mountain Run", "Resting Place," and "Gonna Be Some Changes Made." The satisfied KGB agents give Bruce and band a royal escort to the airport where a special waiting jet takes Bruce and band to another sold-out concert in Moscow. After 3 nights in jail, Alexei tries once again to win the chick and eventually succeeds. Happy Ending.
(The 3 Nights in Russia: 1. Bruce & band arrive in Russia the day before the St. Petersburg concert 2. the night in Apartment #1111, 3. the night of the concert in Moscow before the return trip.)
p.s. Some might ask how is it that Alexei didn't know it wasn't his apartment once he turned on the light?:
Answer: Scenario #1: Everyone came in sleepy, very tired, and ready to drop & no one turned on the light since the light from the rising full moon came thru the large living room window bringing in just enough light. Alexei just dropped backward in bed & fell asleep right away (but not for long).
Scenario #2: The furniture was "standard" also!
The above story is 100% fiction born on a steno pad during my bus ride to work the morning of this review.
Get this CD, and witness musical genius!
For those interested in viewing Peregrine Falcons, the lords of the sky, you can see some amazing photos on Will James Sooter's Photo Galeries. Click on Peregrine Falcon Flight Photos. Check out splendid Xena taking off--"Xena launching from the bluff"--oh that's my favorite. On the other website Peregrine Falcon Photos by W. J. Sooter, check out the falcon flying upside down--they like to have fun experimenting with their skills. Sound familiar?
Nadia's Critics Corner: MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Some critics tell Bruce to dumb it down, some tell him to spike it up, purest fans are difficult to please--they fear change, not to mention the musically challenged. The REALLY frustrated purests (via computer keyboard) spew sharpened daggers at poor Bruce. I don't know how Bruce puts up with such injustices! Remarks from Amazon's review regarding Bruce's style of his previous albums (comparison w/Norah Jones) don't make much sense to me. How on earth can he be compared to Norah Jones!? I was floored when I first heard "Line In the Dust," & I literally played it for hours every day for several weeks. I need specifics to understand exactly to what style or kind of songs or to what particular songs this critic was referring--was she referring to some of my most favorite songs like "Across the River," "White Wheeled Limousine" or "Song H" or the most beautiful "Swan Song" or even "The Way It Is" (Oh God I hope not!), my other favorites or to the ones I skip over? (Oh God I do hope she was referring to the ones I skip over.) There are some softer songs I don't care for, but generalizing (by its very nature) is illogical and insulting to Bruce, confusing, frustrating, and even insulting to me. I had to buy another stereo to accommodate Bruce's CDs, and I play them far more than I play CDs from any other artist, including such artists as Bob Dylan and Gershwin. Bruce is number one in my stereos--and as a musician, he's second to none. Anyway, I don't hear such remarks for all the tons of softer songs Mozart did (or his peers) or the tons and tons of softer songs Bob Dylan did. Figure that! I don't hear any such comparisons or negative fuss about the slow or melancholic songs Bob Dylan did such as "Knocking on Heaven's Door," "Lay Lady Lay," "Man In the Long Black Coat," "Visions of Johanna," or any of other more hot or far less hot slow songs Bob Dylan did. Critics are not Bruce's peers--they don't have Bruce's talent, otherwise they would be composing instead of being critics. Bruce's "fans have their reasons for feeling defensive" toward Bruce's usual style? I don't see the logic of this remark either, since his former albums seem to be more popular than this latest album. It seems like some fans just want to return to Bruce's former style. Songs like "The Valley Road," "Across the River," and "The Way It Is" STILL and WILL ALWAYS retain their glory, but Bruce keeps breaking through popular music thresholds and WINNING. I just think Bruce is being treated unfairly--critics, purest fans, folks unable to appreciate his music, RCA who doesn't keep a steady supply of "Spirit Trail" for fans who do WANT a new CD set (Amazon seems to be struggling with RCA trying to get a steady supply of new "Spirit Trail" CDs when a while back it was labeled as discontinued by the manufacturer, but somehow has managed to get new CDs now and then). I don't know all the facts, but that is what appears to be the case. H---, these CDs are relatively recent! They should be in stock! Within my limitations, I can see all these injustices. Could Bruce add a few more to this list? In his song, "Circus on the Moon," his lyrics make reference to a cry for help--him trying be seen as special, but in the end he's being treated just like all the rest. Now is that fair? No. Did Bruce fall a bit under the radar? Maybe, but that's not his fault. Were some folks a bit disappointed with "Big Swing Face?" Maybe. I don't have an opinion yet--I haven't heard that CD, but if that should be the case, my suggestion is to wait for the next album, simple. I filed away MANY albums of Bob Dylan. Bruce's music is great & it's either absolutely perfect or almost absolutely perfect, and he is also evidently very knowledgeable in studio recording & takes charge of his own recordings (that's what I suppose to be the case) and he nails them all--Bruce has got it all in ABUNDANCE & lacks absolutely nothing. I think Bruce could have saved money doing without the unnecessary famous singers, but SHOULD continue to enrich his own music with orchestra if he wants to & can afford it.
Amazon's review was on target on one point, however: There are some very powerful songs to be found in this album waiting to be appreciated.
One more vent on critics: Bob Dylan did a song with crude lyrics (New Pony), and one critic described it in such a way that he made the lyrics sound almost enlightened! Critics, Ahhh! To many critics (probably worshipers of Bob), anything Bob Dylan did was pure gold no matter WHAT he did.
Anyway, I agree with Jason Stein's review of this album. There is an overabundance of undeserved success and talentless folks out there making the charts. Bruce is SUCH a great artist, and his music should receive FAR more deserved recognition and appreciation. This is certainly one CD that should be flying off the shelves.
0 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Not What I Had Hoped For Mar 19, 2008
With the exception of maybe two cuts, this is boring. Bruce is a fine talent and very gifted, but the well has run dry. I just can't get into this repetitive piano driven stuff. Nothing insightful like "The Way It Is".
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Halcion Days Review Mar 08, 2007
Bruce Hornsby is a legend. I was slightly disappointed though in the disk. Buying it after hearing a clip on the radio, I found some of the songs went on and on longer than I would have liked. The old time favorites with a current twist came across well. Overall, I wont be listening to this one as often as other recent purchases.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Good Stuff Mar 27, 2006
We all know of Bruce Hornsby, and this cd is great. I bought it for "Gonna be some changes made", which was the music for Lowes a year or two ago in their commercials, but the whole cd is great. Worth having. "Hooray for Tom" and "What the hell happened to me" are only two of the songs I wouldn't ever want to live without. Peace.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
FANASTIC!!!! Dec 30, 2005
What a fabulous CD! There is a very diverse mix of music on the CD and each song is great in its own way. "Circus on the Moon" stands out to me as the best on the CD with the original Hornsby sound. "Gotta be Some Changes Made" is equally as good with a more orchestral sound than his earlier CDs. Mirror on the Wall" also is classic Hornsby. His piano playing keeps getting better and so does his song writing! What an outstanding release!
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