Bruce Hornsby

Sometimes a wildly successful debut album – like The Way It Is, by Bruce Hornsby and the
Range – can be a curse for a rock band. Suddenly faced with the pressure of recapturing
the commercial magic while not repeating themselves musically, many bands find their
songwriting stunted or lose their focus altogether the second time out. Rather than merely
echo the promise of The Way It Is, Scenes from the Southside, this band's sopho... More >

This unassuming platinum mine is compassionate, serious, literate. He plays a "real" piano. And he's a menace. I mean, in the privacy of your own mind, try crossing vague Bruce with '80s Elton. Then run it through Firefall. Finally--this is important--slow down those tempos. No no no, leave the drum sound up. See? (Grade - C)