As eccentric as the artist himself,
Legacy
's 2015 compilation
The Essential Bruce Hornsby
may not give casual fans all the hits they know -- "Mandolin Rain" is, for one, here in a live version, while "Every Little Kiss" is absent altogether -- but this does an excellent job of showcasing
Hornsby
's range and idiosyncratic taste. There isn't much from
the Range
here, all things considered: there's more from his rangier new millennial band
the Noisemakers
, plus duets with
Ricky Skaggs
, jams with jazzbos
Jack DeJohnette
and
Christian McBride
, not to mention
Grateful Dead
covers and a bit of classical music to boot. It's a lot to shoehorn onto one collection but it definitely shows
's versatility, as well as how he's gotten looser (and possibly better) as he's moved further away from the charts. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine