911. Billy Joel / River of Dreams. 1993. 3/5

Perhaps the kindest thing I can say about this album is that it is the final studio album Billy Joel released before announcing his 'retirement'. Some will consider this a harsh judgement, but by the time this was released in 1993 the world of music had really moved on from what Billy Joel had to offer, and while there is no doubt about the quality of the musicianship, its the songs themselves that feel out of place.

That's not to say there aren't some okay songs. The opening track "No Man's Land" shows some style and substance, along with Billy's vocals coming through to lead the song from the outset. If the rest of the album could have followed up on this energy and vibe then it would no doubt have been a much more enjoyable experience. Billy then finds his inner Beatles again with "Great Wall of China", which almost could have been lifted from the Sgt Peppers album. This has its moments too I guess, and isn't all bad in the whole scheme of things, but at almost six minutes in length it is too long.
Then comes the middle section, with "Blonde Over Blue", A Minor Variation" and "Shades of Grey", which are repetitive in the music riff if not the drudgery of the songs themselves. They are all too long, and so they are unable to retain your attention beyond the first couple of minutes. They just don't seem to move anywhere.
"All About Soul" immediately hits you here because suddenly Billy's vocals are front and centre again, and his voice is what pricks up your ears and pull you in. I've never had the affinity for this track that many others have, but it is noticeable here because its quality towers over what the middle of the album has produced. "Lullaby (Goodnight, My Angel)" is another standard Billy Joel piano ballad, sung sweetly enough and played with dignity. "The River of Dreams" has never been a favourite of mine, perhaps through having to have heard it a billion times on the radio when it was released. Again, it's okay without being one of his best songs. In my opinion.
The album concludes with "Two Thousand Years" and "Famous Last Words". The former again concentrates on Billy's piano leading the charge, and his vocals being the centre of the song, while the latter does little harm, and also perhaps predicts that and ending is coming, in more ways than one.

No, this is only an average album, and in an age when grunge was still dictating terms it must have been a difficult album to promote. Whether he had begun to run out of ideas, or he just saw that there was little use in pushing out more of the same, it takes a special conviction to simply announce that there will be no more. The best part is that this doesn't harm his legacy, and still offers enough for you to be able to sit down and enjoy the parts that matter.

Rating:   "All the king's men, and all the kings horses, can't put you back together the way you used to be".  3/5.