BRUCE HORNSBY - HERE COME THE NOISE MAKERS CD - New CD

Since Bruce Hornsby first infiltrated the pop landscape in 1986 with the year's most socially conscious ballad, the Virginia native has proven himself to be a gifted singer-songwriter, piano player, and bandleader. All of those talents are much in evidence on this double CD of live material culled from his band's last two years on the road. A pianist with the chops to evoke everyone from Keith Jarrett and McCoy Tyner to Floyd Cramer and Vince Guaraldi, Hornsby takes a number of opportunities to stretch out here, including a solo introduction to his breakthrough hit, "The Way It Is," that explains why he almost ended up on the Windham Hill label. Not surprisingly, the latter-day Grateful Dead sideman also gives his band plenty of instrumental slack, which can make lengthy workouts like "Spider Fingers" a bit daunting for pop listeners. But devotees of Hornsby's more straightforward material will still find much to love here, including haunting renditions of "The End of the Innocence" (written with Don Henley) and Hornsby's more recent "Fortunate Son" (not to be confused with the Creedence song). There's not much that could be called noise here, but Here Come the Noise Makers proves Hornsby is still a jack-of-all-trades and master of many. --Bill Forman

Track Listings