From the opening notes of "Spider Fingers,"
Hot House declares itself a jazzy showcase for
Bruce Hornsby's piano skills, continuing further down the path started on
Harbor Lights. Leaned more heavily toward the instrumental side of things, the album works better as a whole than as a collection of individual songs. Still, "White Wheeled Limousine" and "Country Doctor" show off
Hornsby's gift for story weaving, and "Walk in the Sun" and "The Longest Night" rank among his best tracks. But
Hot House is mostly about the overall vibe of the music, with lyrics taking a backseat in many cases. And that's just fine since the always technically proficient
Hornsby has surrounded himself with other talented musicians like
Béla Fleck, Pat Metheny, and
Jimmy Haslip. There's an upbeat, loose feel to even the darker-edged songs, making this his most optimistic release to date. While
Hot House is less personal and contains fewer individually memorable tracks than
Hornsby's previous albums, it's still a great listen. ~ Skyler Miller