Monday, August 17, 2020

Non-Secure Connection (2020), by Bruce Hornsby

In the quickest follow-up of his career, coming only a year after his critically acclaimed and esoteric album, Absolute Zero, Bruce Hornsby continues the eclectic explorations of that offering and goes off in even more tangents, ultimately yielding another winner in his long repertoire.

Non-Secure Connection securely affirms Hornsby as one of our era’s most unique and wide-ranging veteran musical artists. The album is equal parts orchestral, electronic, organic, cinematic, funk, and impressionistic, with Hornsby expressing himself more expansively on vocals – still resoundingly vibrant at 66 – and piano, as well as electric sitar and Chamberlin.

The varied sounds come to life thanks to the contributions of a diverse lineup of guest performers, including Jamila Woods, Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid, and Justin Vernon.

The album is captivating from start to finish, with standouts including “The Rat King,” “My Resolve” (a duet with Jason Mercer), and “Anything Can Happen” (featuring the late Leon Russell thanks to a demo from the mid-1990s). The exhilarating closing track, “No Limits,” sounds like Hornsby’s take on The Police’s classic album title track “Synchronicity,” complete with hi-hat and chorused guitar, and is one of Hornsby’s best songs overall.

--Raj Manoharan

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