Billy Joel
52nd Street

THE REVIEW

Every great artist's dream is for their work to live a life of its own, and this also applies to pop music, which sometimes offers small masterpieces of compositional perfection. By losing a precise temporal connotation, these become “evergreens,” exactly like “52nd Street.”

The fervent compositional verve of the Bronx pianist finds full expression in this work, enriched by greater smoothness and stylistic refinement without, for this, giving up the energy and freshness demonstrated in his previous recordings. Nine tracks, some of which consist of piano ballads, where the jazz orientation of the New York artist is very evident, all seasoned with unforgettable and sweet melodies and a warm voice, which becomes especially intense in the bridges, the strongest point of the entire album. These features are particularly noticeable in the most representative song of the album: “Honesty”, a delicate praise of friendship, where a soft and relaxing atmosphere is felt, marked by a jazz-inspired harmonic structure and interrupted by a gritty bridge in which Joel's airy vocals soar above the instrumental ensemble.
In other moments, however, the atmosphere becomes intense, almost like a jam session: such is the case with “Zanzibar” complete with a boppish trumpet solo in the style of Clifford Brown and “Stiletto” with a compelling piano and bass ostinato upon which a smooth sax theme is layered, or the rock echoes of “Big Shot” with Steve Khan rampaging on guitar with powerful power chords. Certainly, however, Mr. Joel's specialty is to fill the dance floor with his renowned “ents”, whether it's the fervent dreamy sentimentalism of “Rosalinda's Eyes”, or the Latin-flavored “Until the Night”, the quality of the compositions shows no decline, not even in the final title track where, retrieving a pure blues feel, he sings to a syncopated rhythm marked by faithful Liberty De Vitto's drums.

Ultimately, an album that evidences the sensitive technical and compositional genius of Joel, characterized by a refined pop, polished by jazz nuances and well-crafted arrangements, worthy of the continued success that the decades to come would continue to bestow upon it.