Greatest Radio Hits

1	The Way It Is / Bruce Hornsby & the Range 4:57
2	Mandolin Rain 5:19
3	Every Little Kiss 5:48
4	The Valley Road 4:42
5	Look Out Any Window 5:28
6	Jacob's Ladder Live / previously unreleased 4:34
7	The End of the Innocence Live / previously unreleased 7:18
8	Across the River 5:11
9	Lost Soul 5:20
10	Set Me in Motion 4:33
11	Fields of Gray 4:52
12	Walk in the Sun 4:43
13	See the Same Way 5:38
14	The Good Life 3:46
15	Go Back to Your Woods previously unreleased 4:46

Barnes & Noble

This mellifluous singer-songwriter-keyboardist wears many hats -- in-demand session player, Grateful Dead accomplice, jazz explorer. This collection, however, sticks to Hornsby basics, the smooth-yet-crafty keyboard-rock songs that have become radio staples over the years -- from the warm "The Way It Is" to the engaging "The Valley Road." The set doesn't just cover those bases, though: It's rounded out by a passel of previously unreleased material highlighted by an extended and revamped take on "The End of the Innocence," the Hornsby composition that became a huge hit for Don Henley. Similarly, his version of "Go Back to Your Woods" departs significantly from the rendition that coauthor Robbie Robertson issued on his 1991 offering, Storyville. A live version of "Jacob's Ladder," featuring some of Hornsby's trademark keyboard vamping, is the icing on a cake that's sure to go down very well with fans. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Finally, a long overdue collection from vocalist/pianist Bruce Hornsby was issued in 2004. The superb Greatest Radio Hits compiles 15 songs, including his charted singles. Eight Bruce Hornsby & the Range numbers and seven solo tracks are featured. Adding "radio" to the greatest-hits title and Hornsby's comments in the liner notes indicate a strong belief in the unpredictability of what becomes a hit. Hornsby's jazz-influenced pop/rock, particularly with the Range, certainly stood out from the rest of the Top 40 pack in the late '80s. Each of his two finest songs, "The Way It Is" and "The Valley Road," packed a fine melodic wallop wrapped in socially conscious lyrics. The brilliant classic "The Way It Is" hit number one in 1986 arguably on the strength of its instantly memorable piano hooks, but who could have expected its heartfelt examination of racism, civil rights, and social inequality to top the charts at the height of the Reagan era? "The Valley Road" was an infectiously melodic number five single, yet its melody enveloped subtle lyrics about out-of-wedlock pregnancy, abortion, and class division set in rural, small-town America. Other hits with the Range are "Mandolin Rain," "Every Little Kiss," "Look Out Any Window," "Lost Soul" (with Shawn Colvin on vocals), the underrated "Across the River" (with Jerry Garcia on guitar), and "Set Me in Motion" from the Backdraft soundtrack. Solo songs include "Fields of Gray," "Walk in the Sun," "See the Same Way," "The Good Life," and three previously unreleased tracks: "Go Back to Your Woods" and fascinating live versions of "Jacob's Ladder" (which Huey Lewis & the News took to number one) and "The End of the Innocence" (co-written with Don Henley, who had a Top Ten hit with his take). Greatest Radio Hits is destined to be a perennial catalog best-seller, and deservedly so. Bret Adams