Bruce Hornsby’s upcoming Columbia album “Halcyon Days” features a number of high-profile guest performers, including Eric Clapton, Sting and Elton John. Clapton contributes guitar to three songs on the album, due Aug. 10, and vocals to the track “Candy Mountain Run.” Sting duets with Hornsby on opener “Gonna Be Some Changes Made,” while John joins the artist on the song “Dreamland.”
“Halcyon Days” finds Hornsby backed by his regular band, bassist J.V. Collier, drummer Sonny Emory, multi-instrumentalist Bobby Read, guitarist Doug Derryberry and organist John “JT” Thomas. Also guesting on the set is the artist’s brother, guitarist RS “Bobby” Hornsby.
“Halcyon Days” is Hornsby’s first album for Columbia, following a career spent on RCA. His last release, 2002’s “Big Swing Face,” debuted at No. 22 on Billboard’s Top Internet Album Sales chart. Its electronic beats and looped samples marked a departure from the jazz-inflected adult contemporary music for which he’s known.
A national U.S. viewing audience saw guitarist Pat Metheny join Hornsby Sunday night in Indianapolis for a performance of the National Anthem prior to game five of the National Basketball Association’s Eastern Conference Finals. The game was broadcast live on cable sports channel ESPN.
Hornsby has a U.S. summer tour on the books that will kick off in advance of the new album. The run gets underway July 14 in Saratoga, Calif., and will close Aug. 27 in Memphis. A European tour is slated to kick off Sept. 10 in Dublin. For the full list of dates, visit Hornsby’s official Web site.
Here is the “Halcyon Days” track list:
“Gonna Be Some Changes Made”
“Candy Mountain Run”
“Dreamland”
“Circus on the Moon”
“Halcyon Days”
“What the Hell Happened”
“Hooray for Tom”
“Heir Gordon”
“Mirror on the Wall”
“Song F”
“Lost in the Snow”
Source billboard.com.