Bruce Hornsby’s previous studio CD, “Big Swing Face,” was a shock to just about all of his fans. He completely avoided his signature instrument, the piano, and instead pursued a modern groove-oriented dance and R&B-type sound that featured a host of loops, samples, programmed rhythms and other production touches.
“I had two reactions to that record,” Hornsby said. “One, what in the world are you doing? And two, this is the first record you’ve ever made that I liked.”
Hornsby’s newly released ninth CD, “Halcyon Days,” won’t generate such diametrically opposed reactions. In fact, for fans of the CDs that preceded “Big Swing Face,” it will sound like the return of an old, familiar friend.
Hornsby performs tonight at the Moore Theatre in Seattle.
“I felt a great desire to return to the piano because that’s really what I do, obviously, and that’s where I spent all my time doing music,” Hornsby said. “This is actually the first record where every song is a piano song.”
Though “Halcyon Days” marks a return to Hornsby’s piano-centric sound, it is anything but a stylistic rehash. Yes, there are songs like the first single, “Gonna Be Some Changes,” that evoke the smooth-flowing piano pop of “The Way It Is,” the hit single that launched Hornsby’s career and turned his 1986 debut CD of the same name into a triple platinum hit.
And new tunes like “Circus on the Moon” and “Mirror on the Wall” sit comfortably alongside the more complex and jazzier sounds of other Hornsby albums.
But Hornsby also shows some fresh dimensions. For instance, the songs “What the Hell Happened” and “Heir Jordan” are rooted in a ragtime-stride piano style.
“I’d never done it before, and I wanted to do it,” Hornsby said about ragtime. “I’m always interested in finding new ways, new pianistic expressions within this song context.”
Lyrically, on “Halcyon Days” Hornsby shows a lighter, more humorous side. “What the Hell Happened,” for instance, finds the native of Williamsburg, Va., good-naturedly complaining that he didn’t inherent his parents’ good looks. On “Gonna Be Some Changes Made,” Hornsby adopts the guise of the bumbler who just can’t seem to stop himself from screwing up.
“Gonna Be Some Changes” is also one of several songs that benefits from the musical contributions of some high-profile guests. It’s one of three songs on the CD to feature a guitar solo from Eric Clapton and one of two songs that gets a vocal assist from Sting.
A third superstar, Elton John, meanwhile, contributes vocals to the warm and encouraging ballad “Dreamland,” which Hornsby wrote about one of his twin 12-year-old sons.
“I’ve often had some really enjoyable guests, and really good guests lists on the records,” Hornsby said. “It’s usually been about players – (Jerry) Garcia, Pat Metheny, Branford Marsalis, Bela Fleck, Wayne Shorter, Charlie Hayden – but this time I wanted to work with singers. … So I called them up and they all said yes.”
Hornsby said he feels his mission of building an audience that appreciates the complexity and unpredictability of his music has been accomplished.
“It’s a bit of a struggle because those listeners are out there, but they’re not easily found,” he said. “So you have to do the extra work. But it’s worth it because that’s why we can tour year after year, and every year have people still come … because they want to hear an adventurous night of music. They know that’s what they’re going to get.
“And the people who come to hear the hits, I’ve actually been a little nicer about that this year.”
Bruce Hornsby performs tonight in Seattle.
Bruce Hornsby
8 tonight, Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave., Seattle. $28.50-$33.50, 206-628-0888.
Bruce Hornsby
8 tonight, Moore Theatre, 1932 Second Ave., Seattle. $28.50-$33.50, 206-628-0888.
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