Word: joel
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
THERE'S no question about Billy Joel's musical creativity; the dead-end kid from Long Island has consistently proved that he can compose original songs, and his six albums to date have showcased some of the '70s' best pop tunes. But their appeal, and indeed much of what makes Joel an especially fine recording artist, is his personality which comes through in many of his songs...
From his earliest works, originating with the long, personal lamentations that characterized Piano Man to his recent conglomeration of more commercially oriented compositions on The Stranger, Joel has filled his songs with a rebellious spirit, a "New York state of mind," and the discontent of youthful passions, all of which energize his musical efforts...
...grown from a shaky start with Cold Spring Harbor, his virtually unknown debut album, to the 1976 blockbuster, Turnstiles. Each album gave the music world fresh looks at life, love and people, all set to Joel's masterful keyboard compositions. Whether he was ridiculing the radical in "Angry Young Man," probing sentimentality in "You're My Home," or reminiscing about foolish teenage love in "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant," Joel maintained a lyrical poignancy that hit home with both his listeners and his critics...
With his latest release, 52nd Street, Joel returns with more musical innovation. His melodies are innovative, catchy and--for the most part--lively. But slickness is the album's failing. A marketable brand of polish glosses over the raw power that has highlighted Billy Joel's past albums...
...Shot," the album's opening cut, is as angry and piercing a lyric as Joel has ever written, leaving no stone unturned in the world of jet-setters. But like "Movin Out" from The Stranger the words fall into a repetitive chorus set to a monotonous melody line which should make the song a radio favorite, though not one of the album's stronger cuts...