This will be one of the albums I keep in my CD changer forever. It has some with vocals, and some just instrumental. For the most part it is just Harry and his piano. It is very mellow and is a great way unwind after a crazy day. He does get a little up tempo with "Way Down Yonder in New Orleans" and "Tie a Yellow Ribbon 'Round the Old Oak Tree". My favorite song on the album is "There is Always One More Time". Harry has a guest vocalist on this song. It is a beautiful song and Harry makes it even more beautiful. He is a truly gifted pianist and singer which he proves with this album. I would have liked to have seen a little more originality in the two albums he released this time, but he did not let down this fan by any means.

I have read the Amazon.com editorials on both '30' and 'Songs I Heard' and have to completely disagree with the negative tone that the dear editor portrayed on the album (30). I bought both albums at the same time and initially liked Songs I Heard better, as it is a very warm album. However, 30 is gaining ground quickly. It seemed to me that there was a larger percentage of instrumental music without voices than normal in 30, but still Harry shines through in both piano and voice. I will say, though, it seems to me to be more towards a blues album (maybe Harry's mid-life crisis? ;-P ) and focuses almost primarily on losing someone (a girl) rather than holding someone. There is certainly a hint of Harry's New Orleans jazz roots with two songs specifically referring to it ( track 6 and 9). For the editor to say the vocals on "There's always one more time" is out of context is to not understand the context. Was it different from the other tracks? Certainly. Perhaps you can argue that, but it follows a line of progression.... jazzy--New Orleans--Blues-- You could swear they are in a New Orleans Soul Gospel church in about 95 degree weather and 110% humidity singing the roof down. In that context, it follows beautifully. 30 is different. 30 is good.

With this CD you will hear Harry at his most intimate just his piano and voice and a few close friends. You feel that you are actually sitting in on the recording. His playing is both exciting and mellow and his singing is soulfull and inspiring. Some reviewers seem to be confused that Harry does not sing on every track but that is the nature of such CDs as 11, 20, 25 and 30 where Harry's piano playing takes the spotlight. Harry minus his big band does not mean the listener is being short-changed instead they are experiencing another side to his music. Relax and enjoy it!

When I was a teenager in the mid-60s playing Kinks and Yardbirds numbers in garage bands, if anyone had told me that one day I would maintain a complete collection of albums by a man young enough to be my kid who sounded like Sinatra, the rock'n'roll loyalist in me would have made me want to deck the person who said that. But here I am today, reviewing an album that--by my standards of those days--does not have a beat. We need a reminder every so often that the TV Special Connick with his tux and his babe magnet looks is such a great piano player that he played for a Dixieland band as a middle-schooler (see his album "Eleven"). So it should come as no surprise that this album needed (with little exception) only Harry, 88 keys and a couple of mikes. Like with his laid back renditions of Fats Domino's "I'm Walkin'" and the Dixieland classic "Way Down Yonder In New Orleans". His version of "Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Old Oak Tree" is forgettable, but then again, so was the original. But he counterbalances that with his straight-ballad rendition of "Speak Softly Love" from "The Godfather", which deftly avoids falling into a drugstore paisan cliche that Harry doesn't have the credentials for. He's never been a poseur and he reminds us of that in his music all the time. I found one number here amusing, though. I've heard the old dance-hall term "ladies' excuse-me waltz" most of my life without really knowing what it meant. But the hesitation rhythm Harry puts to "Somewhere My Love" from "Doctor Zhivago" reminded me of that old expression, with its step-oops, step-oops, step-oops--like a dancer afraid of stepping on his partner's toes. If that isn't a ladies' excuse me waltz, I don't know what is. Well, next on the agenda is his "Songs I Heard", which I'm reading some negative reviews on here. Probably from customers who expect Connick to put out cookie cutter releases. Myself, I happen to LIKE the man's versatility.

I enjoyed his previous album, "25," which was a similar type of album: playful, pared-down and intimate, showcasing Connick's natural singing and piano skills. I particularly enjoyed that and also this album, "30." Connick's singing style is easy and strong, without being too processed or smooth; I particularly liked songs which showcase his imaginative and offbeat renditions on the piano, such as "Chattanooga Choo Choo" and "Somewhere My Love." These were refreshing and I wish more artists had the talent to showcase their takes on songs without "having" to sing a note. This is a thoroughly enjoyable album and I hope more listeners understand what he is doing with it -- and really "get" it.