Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Bruce Hornsby: Non-Secure Connection

Bruce Hornsby: Non-Secure Connection

By Geno Thackara
August 9, 2020
View read count

It's hard to imagine

Bruce Hornsby

piano and vocals
b.1954

" data-original-title="" title="">Bruce Hornsby's listeners being fazed much by anything he does anymore. Harmonic layers of semi-processed voice drones in an ambient haze? Classy strings crossed with jarringly angular piano and over-jokey lyrics about internet girls? After a career that's touched on jazz and bluegrass as prominently as folk and classical, his familiar crowd knows how to take it all in stride. He could attempt perhaps the most smoove-jiving half-sincere-half-parody R&B pastiche ever, and hardly anyone would bat an eye. Oh, hang on—he does that here also.

Though that particular moment is one of his most gleefully over-the-top to date, it's a perfectly straight-faced one with the cast genuinely having heaps of fun, and of course nothing could have gone far wrong with the inimitable

Leon Russell

piano
b.1942

" data-original-title="" title="">Leon Russell on board (Hornsby heard some further potential in the track he first co-wrote and demoed with Russell in the late '80s, and it's hard to say he's wrong). On top of that, the title "Anything Can Happen" will possibly become the most quintessential of his career. By that point in the set we've also heard some simple balladry, catchy string-tinged pop and a joyful trip-hop-funk jam to pack a dance floor in half a minute flat. Clearly the ideas still kept flying thick and fast after the wildly eclectic stew of Absolute Zero (Zappo, 2019). If this followup doesn't throw in the kitchen sink quite as completely, he's still clearing plates and loading the dishwasher.

Non-Secure Connection (like much of Hornsby's catalogue as a whole) succeeds because he's not actually setting out to shock or defy expectations. Clearly the only concern is following ideas that seem fun and interesting. As usual, this batch of ideas again provides space for some top-shelf collaborators—familiar returning names like the Noisemakers and Justin Vernon are joined by Jamila Woods,

Vernon Reid

guitar
b.1958

" data-original-title="" title="">Vernon Reid, and notably the Shins' James Mercer on the strong, hooky anthem "My Resolve." As always, it's the best kind of feedback loop where everyone is happy to push each other somewhere new and unexpected.

Hornsby remains unafraid to bend the ear with weird harmonies—exactly twice as much as on Zero, as he amusingly observes. Still, challenging spots like the appropriately twisted "Shit's Crazy Out Here" are handily outnumbered by pieces intriguing and approachable for all their smarts. Things fittingly close in a fast-driving burst of optimism with "No Limits" (another definitive title, that) declaring that Hornsby is never done taking us all for a ride. If the outside world isn't getting any less nuts, clearly the best response is to stay creatively crazy enough to match it.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Cleopatra Drones; Time, the Thief; Non-Secure Connection; The Rat King; My Resolve; Bright Star Cast; Shit��s Crazy Out Here; Anything Can Happen; Porn Hour; No Limits.

Personnel

Bruce Hornsby

piano and vocals

Chad Wright

drums

Gibb Droll

guitar

J.V. Collier

bass

J.T. Thomas

keyboards

John Mailander

violin

Rob Moose

violin

Mike Lewis

bass

J.T. Bates

drums

Hideaki Aomori

clarinet

Additional Instrumentation

James Mercer: vocals (5); Jamila Woods: vocals (6); Vernon Reid: guitar (6); Leon Russell: vocals (8).

Album information

Title: Non-Secure Connection | Year Released: 2020 | Record Label: Zappo Productions

PREVIOUS / NEXT

The Dance She Spoke
< Previous

David Billingsley, Charles Mingus, B...
Next >

Bruce Hornsby Concerts

Sep 26 Fri

Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers with the Charlotte...

The Amp Ballantyne
Charlotte, NC

Oct 2 Thu

Bruce Hornsby, Eggy

9:30 Club
Washington, DC

Nov 6 Thu

Bruce Hornsby

Jay And Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center At Auburn University
Auburn, AL

Feb 28 Sat

Bruce Hornsby with the Colorado Symphony

Boettcher Concert Hall
Denver, CO

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.