Bruce Hornsby

Bruce Hornsby's mid-'80s singles were almost aggressively tasteful: ultraprofessional piano pastiches, Americana, and MOR-ready hooks. But "The Way It Is" and "Mandolin Rain" suffered from an air of wistfulness that passed, on first listen, for melancholy but left a "Well-then-who-gives-a-damn?" aftertaste. Scenes From the Southside continued in the same vein, producing "The Valley Road," another stainless hit. Hornsby enlisted such diverse talents as Jerry Garcia and Wayne Shorter to help make A Night on the Town his most direct, almost bluesy record. Not that great a departure from the Range's earlier sound, it garnered critical encouragement but no big hits. Harbor Lights and Hot House found Hornsby dropping the Range and moving further jazzward. The double-album Spirit Trail was his most ambitious yet, stretching out his playing without resorting to aimless jamming. By this time, he was almost as well known for his part-time membership in the Grateful Dead as he was for his own music. The two-disc live album Noise Makers is culled from concerts in 1998 through 2000 and includes hits from "The Way It Is" to "Mandolin Rain." (PAUL EVANS)

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide