This is a terrific album and includes some of Billy Joel's best songs. Perhaps most notable (certainly one of our favourites) is the title track, about a man who plays piano at a bar and the people he sees there. The piano figures heavily not only in this song but throughout the album; the harmonica, banjo, sax, and organ are also put to good use on various tracks.
'Travelin' Prayer' is a prayer for a man's girlfriend to be all right whilst the man in her life isn't with her. There's a frantic beat to this song, a contrast to the idea of it being a prayer, which would normally be expected to be more sedate. But it works well, giving the impression that the man's prayer is a desperate one. Then there's 'Ain't No Crime,' a song about human nature; 'You're My Home,' a touching track about deep love; and 'Stop in Nevada,' told from the woman's point of view, about starting over.
The songs are strong, with a depth of emotion one likes to hear; the music is catchy, and Joel has a good voice.
Note: mild language and sex.
Favourite lyrics include: 'He say, Son can you play me a melody/I'm not really sure how it goes/But it's sad and it's sweet and I knew it complete/When I wore a younger man's clothes' ('Piano Man'); 'Well he never traveled heavy/Yes he always rode alone,/And he soon put many older guns to shame/Well he never had a sweetheart/Though he finally found a home/Underneath the boothill grave that bears his name' ('The Ballad of Billy the Kid').
Don't forget to check out the other stops on the tour!
Ms. Yingling Reads (msyinglingreads.blogspot.com)It’s About Time, MaMaw (itsabouttimemamaw.blogspot.com)
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