Confession: The first time I played this album, I couldn't wait to sell it back to the record store. It sounded like an almost perverse subversion of the things you expect from Bruce Hornsby's music: crystalline piano, achingly poignant lyrics, and a timeless mood of classic Americana that harkens back to The Band. My first thought upon hearing this album, with its overamped keyboards, drum machines, distorted vocals, and crowded, electronica-flavored arrangements was, "I'm glad Bruce got this album out of his system. I'm just sorry I had to buy it."

But then something funny happened. I woke up with the title track looping in my head, as it had all night. I realized that this album is not a loss of poise, control, or social relevance by Hornsby, but more like a searingly angry musical statement of "This is how things are. It might not sound pretty, but things aren't pretty." This is Bruce's post-Bush, post-9/11, post-HORNSBY album -- a jagged mirror held up to the era we're living in.

Back in the mid-'70s, Neil Young recorded a huge hit album called "Harvest," with gorgeous, folksy tunes on it like "Old Man." Everyone loved it. Then Neil released "Tonight's the Night," which was recorded in the spooky hours before dawn, and sounded like it, with its spiky tales of junkies dying in the streets, and hip drag queens, with the smoking wreckage of garage rock and roll replacing the banjos and nostalgia of "Harvest." Everyone hated it at the time. Listening back, it was prophecy.

Here, Hornsby surrenders the sepia-toned poetry about valiant fishermen and Appalachian waifs for lyrics that border on nonsense, as if the very fabric of language was being torn and shredded by a profound disquiet in the soul of America. The eerie cries at the beginning of "Sticks & Stones" are as apt a representation of What It Sounds Like to Be Alive at This Moment in History as I've ever heard. And the title track is so jazzy in its sense of swing that it doesn't even have to reference jazz on its surface.

You may not like this album, but it's a brave and true statement, and an admirable risk by an artist whose music is becoming more personal with each release. This is "The Way It Is" now, boyeee.

This is Hornsby's "Achtung Baby". This is the recording that separates a true musician from imitations. Hornsby has experimented with songwriting, sound and instrumentation on "Big Swing Face". Fans and critics will debate whether the music is good, and, in my opinion, that's a matter of taste. On first listen, I wasn't sure where Hornsby was going, but with repeated listenings I heard humor, inventiveness, and an attempt to try something new. Unlike Chicago, Hornsby isn't resting on his past successes here, and like Chicago, he isn't catering to what everyone wants to hear. As usual, Hornsby writes about the human condition like prejudice in "Sticks & Stones", fame in "Big Swing Face", depression in "This Too Shall Pass", objectivity in "Try Anything Once", insecurity in "Take Out The Trash", materialism in "The Good Life", ignorance in "No Home Training" and soul searching in "Place Under The Sun". So, in a songwriting sense, Hornsby continues to sing about what he's been singing about all along, yet he adds some interesting diversions like "Cartoons & Candy", "The Chill" and "So Out". As always, Hornsby adds a good dose of humor to his songwriting, so the criticism would fall on the music. Hornsby chooses to avoid his traditional instruments like acoustic piano, accordian, banjo, in favor of using some type of electric piano/organ hybrid, drum loops, and yes, even a sample! I have followed Hornsby since "The Way It Is" and time and again he has proven himself to be one of a few musicians who can really play, write and reinvent themselves. As that is such a rare commodity in pop music, Hornsby is a buried treasure--seldom making the top 40 and yet continuing to mature and produce creative music.

I have been into Bruce Hornsby since his first album was released. It was an amazing feat having an artist finally put the piano in the limelight. Great chords, great melody, great lyrics. Frequently, challenging music. I have enjoyed each album that has been released.

Well... until Big Swing Face. I can understand that BH may have felt stagnant and needed to do something new. But this direction is 180 degrees away from his previous style. I imagine that many Bruce Hornsby fans bought this record only to scratch their heads as they listened to it once - and never again.

Not that it is a bad work. If this set of recordings was released under someone else's name and I heard songs from it on the radio, I wouldn't turn them off. But they don’t turn me on and I wouldn't go out and buy the CD. Oh, some of it has some of the good BH lyrical twists. And there is a nice jazz electric piano solo on Cartoons. This Too Shall Pass starts good, but gets into that overused dance beat. YIKE!

Bruce Hornsby: You spent 15 years building what must be a tremendous fan base playing a great piano. Singing intelligible, introspective lyrics. Producing well rounded, musical CDs. I understand someone wanting to stay on the creative edge, but don't betray what got you to the top.

All IMHO.

Released today (June 25, 2002), Bruce Hornsby's new album is a sometimes terrific, sometimes confusing, and sometimes downright frustrating piece of work. For starters, it sounds NOTHING like Hornsby's previous albums - there is very little piano, the lyrics are disjointed and often incomprehensible, and there's a lot more 'funk' on this album than on any other Hornsby release. This album definitely showcases Bruce's wild side, which gives some of the songs - like "Sticks & Stones", "Big Swing Face" and "A Place Under the Sun" - a memorable cheeriness. Furthermore, Bruce actually rocks pretty hard on "So Out", making the song an interesting listen despite its dull chorus.

Unfortunately, Bruce's melancholy side, which yielded so many of his classic songs (think "Fortunate Son", "Mandolin Rain" and the lachrymose "Lost Soul" from "A Night on the Town") is not at all represented on this album. In fact, the closest he comes to this type of song here may be "This Too Shall Pass", a soulful tune that is somehow built around a driving dance beat(!). Finally, we have what is perhaps the album's most rewarding song, "The Good Life". Musically, this song is in the vein of "Shadow Hand" from 1998's "Spirit Trail" album; it's got an upbeat, catchy melody that belies the theme, conveyed by the lyrics, of the narrator's desperate escapism.

All in all, I consider this to be a good album, but I fear that in the long run it will turn out to be my least favorite Bruce Hornsby recording. Hopefully, I'll prove myself wrong.

If you're convinced you want the Bruce of old, then don't even bother sampling this CD. On the other hand, if you recognize Hornsby as the virtuoso he is and are willing give him the opportunity to showcase said virtuosity, then don't miss this effort. It's a radical departure from his previous work, though as one reviewer noted, there are hints of this fusion style in parts of SPIRIT TRAIL.

And fusion is what you get: hip-hop, funk, rock, and jazz all laced with drums, hard guitars, synthesizers, even an organ! The vocals? Most are unlike any past Hornsby tunes you've ever loved. I heard traces of Prince, Living Colour, Grateful Dead, and even Monte Montgomery styled vocals throughout.

Granted, my first reaction was "what the hell?" But, you know, the tunes are simply infectious with their energy and improvisation. After two listenings, I was hooked; though many fans who bought this would disagree, this is one of Hornsby's best efforts ever. I can think of, perhaps, two tracks of which I'm not overly fond on this CD. On the other hand, efforts such as "Sticks & Stones," "Take Out the Trash," and "Cartoons & Candy" keep swirling around in my head. And if you really need an "old Bruce" fix, check out track #8 "The Good Life." It's catchy, optimistic, imminently singable by those of us with no talent, and the closest thing to a "typical" Hornsby tune you will find on this CD.

The bottom line is Hornsby has transcended his past stereotypes of a mellow lyricist and superb piano player. I hope he produces more albums which showcase those tremendous talents; likewise, one can only hope he continues to push the boundaries of music with more truly astounding and strange offerings such as this one. I'd buy them in a New York minute. My advice is to follow the lyrics on track #6: "What the hell/I'll try anything once/Got to keep an open mind this time."