When an artist has been honored with a Grammy, some say, his best days of pure "music" are long behind him. With his latest release, Hot House, Bruce Hornsby disproves that theory with a free flowing jazz album which draws the listener up and away.
Drawing on his more than 100 shows with the Grateful Dead (as guest keyboardist), Hornsby has seemingly mastered the art of recorded improvisation.
But whereas Hornsby was just learning to jam on his last release without the Range (Harbor Lights), Hot House shows a much more successful side of Bruce. The first single, "Walk In The Sun", strikes back to his initial days from The Way It Is - but other tracks, such as "White Wheeled Limousine" and "Spider Fingers" - allow Hornsby's piano skills to roll in synch with his jazz background. "Big Rumble" sounds like Aerosmith taking their first steps into jazz, and realizing that they like it. Guest musicians abound here, including Bela Fleck, Chaka Khan, Pat Metheny and, of course, Jerry Garcia.
This album is NOT something that should be gotten by a fan looking for a quick 4 minute single; nearly half the songs are more than 5 minutes. Hot House is meant to be savored, like a fine bottle of wine, not gulped like cheap beer.
Bruce Hornsby has come a long way since being a backing pianist for Sheena Easton's touring band in 1983. One Hornsby fan, upon hearing this record, said that it was like his last release, Harbor Lights, but taken to the next level - where the musicians sound like they're having fun, jamming and improvising as they go. I couldn't agree more. Expect the critics to rave about Hot House - and deservedly so.
