Sunday Under the Covers: Bruce Hornsby, Madman Across the Water

Back in 1991, Polydor released Two Rooms, a tribute album featuring a star-studded list of artists performing songs that came out of the Bernie Taupin-Elton John collaboration. The album was uneven at best. Kate Bush's reggae-flavored version of Rocket Man appears to have garnered a certain amount of popular appeal, and a few critics raved over Sinead O'Connor's rendition of Sacrifice, but that about plumbs the depths of the critical acclaim this album received. A vast majority of the songs on that album fall flat on their face, despite the best efforts of some very capable artists to recast them in their respective styles.

For my money, though, the stand-out of the album, and arguably the best song to come out of the Taupin-John collaborative effort, is Bruce Hornsby's version of Madman Across the Water. The musicianship is exquisite. Hornsby's piano is relentless with a modality that's reminiscent of McCoy Tyner, and the backing drum and bass (not certain, but I believe they are John Molo and Jimmy Haslip respectively) provide perfect counterpoint. The overall effect captures the dramatic haunting darkness of the lyrics in a way that even the original couldn't approach.

My apologies to those to whom Rhapsody is not an option, but I don't have an MP3 to upload that isn't DRM-encumbered. At $.99, however, the song is worth the price of admission.