Halcyon Days

1	Gonna Be Some Changes Made / Sting
2	Candy Mountain Run / Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert Band
3	Dreamland / Elton John
4	Circus On The Moon
5	Halcyon Days / Sting
6	What The Hell Happened
7	Hooray For Tom
8	Heir Gordon
9	Mirror On The Wall
10	Song F
11	Lost In The Snow

Barnes & Noble

While it would be a little too extreme to -- to paraphrase Frank Zappa -- call this Bruce Hornsby's "Shut Up and Play Your Piano" album, Halcyon Days is something of a return to roots for the erstwhile ivory tickler. Whether cleaving gentle, island-kissed polyrhythms, as on the wry morality play "Gonna Be Some Changes Made," or tackling things entirely all-but-solo, as on the Crescent City–tinged Randy Newman sound-alike "Heir Gordon," Hornsby ensures that those 88 keys are stationed front and center. That's no mean feat when you consider the fact that he's teaming with guests such as Eric Clapton, who adds guitar to three songs while harmonizing on the good-time jaunt "Candy Mountain Run"; Sting, whose wavering tenor adds an added layer of poignancy to the title track; and Elton John, Hornsby's duet partner on "Dreamland," a late-night musing that wafts along smoothly on waves of orchestration. But despite his low-key demeanor, Hornsby has always been a forceful performer with an easily recognizable style, which he plies with abundant charisma on Halcyon Days. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Big Swing Face announced a new and improved Bruce Hornsby, one who wasn't afraid to "Try Anything Once." The lead track of Halcyon Days, "Gonna Be Some Changes Made" -- subtly echoing "The Way It Is" in its piano work -- continues this affirmation of progress, although Hornsby's growth is not sustained across the entire album. Still, the first half of Halcyon Days, while much less ambitious than Big Swing Face, starts off promisingly enough. From the poppy "Changes" to the soothing title track, Hornsby delivers an agreeable set of songs. In its own restrained way, it's a bid for commercial airplay, with guest stars Elton John, Sting, and Eric Clapton all doing their part for the cause. ~ Skyler Miller, All Music Guide