Spirit Trail

spirit trail

Track Listings
Disc: 1
1. King of the Hill
2. Resting Place
3. Preacher in the Ring, Pt. 1
4. Preacher in the Ring, Pt. 2
5. Song C
6. Sad Moon
7. Pete and Manny
8. Fortunate Son
9. Sneaking up on Boo Radley
10. Great Divide
Disc: 2
1. Line in the Dust
2. See the Same Way
3. Shadow Hand
4. Sunlight Moon
5. Listen to the Silence
6. Funhouse
7. Sunflower Cat (Some Dour Cat) (Down With That) - Jerry Garcia, Bruce Hornsby
8. Song D
9. Swan Song
10. Variations on Swan Song and Song D

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
From its unusual jokey cover of his Uncle Charles to the diverse amalgam of styles (jazz, R&B, pop) covered over its two discs, Spirit Trail is Bruce Hornsby at his most difficult to pin down. Whereas his work with the Range set standards for '80s adult-contemporary pop, Hornsby is now determined to move from the middle of the road to new territory. The unusual piano breaks throughout the first disc ("Resting Place" detours into fuzak), the sprightly hip-hop rhythms, the horns that punctuate "Line in the Dust," the simple, playful pop pleasures of "Shadow Hand" prove Hornsby can grow. He's still a super technician with ambitious production and arrangement designs, but his singing has grown more soulful with age. He'll never cut a convincing barrelhouse tune, as "Preacher in the Ring Pt. 1" attests, but his journey into Steely Dan-type sophistication brings his approach new life. --Rob O'Connor

Entertainment Weekly
Trail has a certain massive grandeur, but in the end its (and Hornsby's) virtues defeat it, and him.

Spirit Trail,Bruce Hornsby,RCA,Adult Contemporary,Heartland Rock,Pop,Pop/Rock,Popular Music,Rock

Spirit Trail
Spirit Trail
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • 2 Great CD's for the price of one
  • Unbelievable Double Disc!
  • It's my Dad
  • Bloated, But Still a Great Album
  • Hornsby does it again....but in a different way
 Spirit Trail
Bruce Hornsby
Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

GeneralGeneral | Pop | Styles | Music
Pop RockPop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music
ContemporaryContemporary | Vocal Pop | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Adult Contemporary | Pop | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Rock | Styles | Music
Album-Oriented Rock (AOR)Album-Oriented Rock (AOR) | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Hot House
  2. Harbor Lights
  3. A Night on the Town
  4. Halcyon Days
  5. Scenes From the Southside

ASIN: B00000ADFZ
Release Date: 1998-10-13

Tracks:

  1. King Of The Hill
  2. Resting Place
  3. Preacher In The Ring Part 1
  4. Preacher In The Ring Part 2
  5. Song C
  6. Sad Moon
  7. Pete & Manny
  8. Fortunate Son
  9. Sneaking Up On Boo Radley
  10. Great Divide

Tracks:

  1. Line In The Dust
  2. See The Same Way
  3. Shadow Hand
  4. Sunlight Moon
  5. Listen To The Silence
  6. Funhouse
  7. Sunflower Cat (Some Dour Cat/Down With That)
  8. Song D
  9. Swan Song
  10. Variations On Swan Song & Song D

Amazon.com

From its unusual jokey cover of his Uncle Charles to the diverse amalgam of styles (jazz, R&B, pop) covered over its two discs, Spirit Trail is Bruce Hornsby at his most difficult to pin down. Whereas his work with the Range set standards for '80s adult-contemporary pop, Hornsby is now determined to move from the middle of the road to new territory. The unusual piano breaks throughout the first disc ("Resting Place" detours into fuzak), the sprightly hip-hop rhythms, the horns that punctuate "Line in the Dust," the simple, playful pop pleasures of "Shadow Hand" prove Hornsby can grow. He's still a super technician with ambitious production and arrangement designs, but his singing has grown more soulful with age. He'll never cut a convincing barrelhouse tune, as "Preacher in the Ring Pt. 1" attests, but his journey into Steely Dan-type sophistication brings his approach new life. --Rob O'Connor

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars 2 Great CD's for the price of one.......2003-11-09

2 Full CD's of great music. I listenend to this for 3 straight days. Never gets boring. Excellent work.

5 out of 5 stars Unbelievable Double Disc!.......2003-01-06

Wow, I was shocked when I thought that Bruce didn't have it in him to release two discs at once, because I was totally wrong!

This set is UNBELIEVABLE and everyone should have a copy. The songs cover everything on here from ballads, to short stories, to explorations of characters in society. Best of all, it contains FORTUNATE SON which was based a lot on COMFORTABLY NUMB by Pink Floyd. It's a great matchup for that song!

You won't be disappointed at all with this one, this is one of the best CDs out there.

GET IT!

5 out of 5 stars It's my Dad.......2002-11-30

That's my Dad on the cover. It's a great albumn.

4 out of 5 stars Bloated, But Still a Great Album.......2002-07-12

"Spirit Trail" is a 60-minute masterpiece buried in 90 minutes of music. "Fortunate Son" is Bruce's most hauntingly moving ballad since "Mandolin Rain," "Sunflower Cat" is irresistably funky, and "Sad Moon," "Shadow Hand," and "Swan Song" are just great songs. It's a pleasure to hear some instrumental interludes as well ("Song C," etc.). "Spirit Trail" is a unique and worthy contribution to American music.

However, the album could have been improved tremendously by leaving out a few weak tracks. In particular, "Preacher in the Ring" (recorded in two different versions, no less) is both musically uninteresting and lyrically stupid (is Bruce trying to make fun of actual religious fundamentalists, or is this his "clever" way of comparing Christian conservatives with snake handlers?).

Buy this album, but don't be afraid to skip over a few tracks.

5 out of 5 stars Hornsby does it again....but in a different way.......2002-06-30

Another great album put out by Bruce, but still somehow different from Hot House and Harbor Lights. I think it is the fact that it's not as totally jazz-influenced. I think we hear a lot more (rock) guitar on this cd, not like on his previous two projects where Metheny's jazz guitar (and even some sitar) was more evident. Of course there are some very jazz-oriented songs such as "Sneaking Up on Boo Radley" and "Sad Moon" which is a very pretty track. On "Sad Moon" we are not lead through a typical hornsby song. About half of "Sad Moon" was a jazz-piano solo. I feel he really is showing us his technical skill in Spirit Trail, as there are some tracks where there is just piano such as "Song C", "Song D" and "Variations of Swan Song & Song D". I bet a lot of people feel the cd should have been condensed or a lot "tighter" but I don't think so. In addition, I love how Hornsby songs don't just tell a story or talk about important social ascpects but how they are really very catchy. I particularly love "Resting Place", "Line in the Dust" (which is my favourite)and "Swan Song". "King of the Hill" just blew me away with the two hand piano work. You hear him do something with his left hand over and over again while doing something completely different with his right. Almost like an ostinato. These are some of the best songs I have ever heard from Hornsby. I feel even "Fortunate Son", "Listen to the Silence", "Sunlight Moon" and "The Great Divide" deserve a lot of respect and attention. I have seen a lot of reviews and I notice many people don't like "Preacher in the Ring". I actually loved these songs but especially the second part. They have a beautiful rural feel and remind me of some of his previous tales such as Country Doctor. Anyways, Spirit Trail in my mind is the best cd of 1998.
Bell: Spirit Trail
Average customer rating: Not rated
    		Bell: Spirit Trail

    Manufacturer: Cbc
    ProductGroup: Music
    Binding: Audio CD

    GeneralGeneral | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
    GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
    ASIN: B00000JIZT
    Release Date: 2001-07-01

    Tracks:

    1. Con: I. Serenely - Tim Rawlings
    2. Con: II. W.Primitive Aggressiveness - Tim Rawlings
    3. Arche III: I. Coyote/Radiance - Cenek Vrba
    4. Arche III: II. ...Cries And Whispers - Cenek Vrba
    5. Arche III: III. Cumulus - Cenek Vrba
    6. Arche III: IV. ...Canyons And Shadows - Cenek Vrba
    7. Arche III: V. Raven/Catharsis - Cenek Vrba
    8. Spirit Trail - Calgary PO/Mario Bernardi
    9. Drawing Down The Moon: I. Invocation - Calgary PO/Mario Bernardi
    10. Drawing Down The Moon: II. Lyric - Calgary PO/Mario Bernardi
    11. Drawing Down The Moon: III. Benediction - Calgary PO/Mario Bernardi
    12. Drawing Down The Moon: IV. Celebration - Calgary PO/Mario Bernardi
    13. Drawing Down The Moon: V. An Elemental Lyric - Calgary PO/Mario Bernardi

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