Bruce Hornsby convinced me to quit my job. When I’m unhappy, he’s always there.
Thanks Bruce. And The Range, of course.
#3
‘The Way It Is’ is about as triumphant as it gets. The drums are huge (but thankfully this is one of a few lucky albums from this era that manages to sound organic as well as majorly anthemic), the guitar solos are predictable (not a bad thing), I think the same synth pad is droning from start to finish, and Bruce Hornsby apparently really misses someone.
Every Little Kiss is the song that I really fell in love with first. The playful free time piano intro, the mulled bass synth and drums follow and then the brilliant hook leads you in. “When the day goes down on the water town, when the sun sinks low all around, that’s when I know I, I need you now, yes you’re what I miss, every little kiss, every little one”. The vocal melodies are perfect, the whole things ebs and flows effortlessly. Mandolin Rain: What a chorus. The Way It Is; You’ll never hear a piano solo quite as satisfyingly arrogant and rock and roll than this, this song just speeds by, enters in bliss and doesn’t falter. As for The Red Plains, I wasn’t ready for it. It’s done effortlessly but there’s so much going on. The stomping off beat chords really do seem to come out of nowhere, even third time round. It’s a perfect closer. But maybe I ought to take back what I said about that last piano solo, maybe this is the one.
Regardless, this album is about the most fun I think any musicians could have, There’s so many layers and amazing hidden moments of genius to pick out. This album is a big room full of love, and it’s a bit of a hilarious kick in the face to modesty. It’s just as epic and ridiculous as everyone really wants to be deep down, and that’s why it’s perfect, because somehow, in all the flamboyance, none of it feels forced. It’s all very honest, very real. And that’s why it’s more powerful than it might seem on the face of it. Behind the awful cover art is something really special.
