Levitate (Bruce Hornsby album) explained
Levitate is the tenth studio album by Bruce Hornsby. It was Hornsby's third studio album with his touring band, Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers, and was his first release with Verve Records.
Somewhat a musical departure for Hornsby and the Noisemakers, Levitate features no piano solos. Many of the songs also feature lyrical motifs of science and nature. Several songs were co-written with Chip DeMatteo for a stage musical titled SCKBSTD.
The title track was used in Spike Lee's documentary Kobe Doin' Work. Invisible was featured in the Bobcat Goldthwait movie World's Greatest Dad, in which Hornsby also made a cameo appearance as himself.
Much like the 2004 release Halcyon Days, Levitate features guest artists and those close to Hornsby, most notably Eric Clapton, Hornsby's twin sons Russell and Keith, Grateful Dead lyricist Robert Hunter, and Hornsby's nephew R.S. Hornsby, who was killed in a car accident less than a week after recording a memorable guitar solo on "Continents Drift." The album has been dedicated to his memory.
Track listing
- "The Black Rats of London" (B.R. Hornsby) - 4:16
- "Prairie Dog Town" (B.R. Hornsby, Pharrell Williams, Calvin Broadus, Chad Hugo) - 4:14
- "Cyclone" (B.R. Hornsby, Robert Hunter) - 4:45
- "Continents Drift" (B.R. Hornsby, Chip DeMatteo) - 7:22
- "Paperboy" (B.R. Hornsby, Chip DeMatteo) - 5:04
- "Invisible" (B.R. Hornsby) - 3:36
- "Levitate" (B.R. Hornsby, Thomas Newman (Score from The Shawshank Redemption)) - 3:36
- "Here We Are Again" (B.R. Hornsby, Chip DeMatteo) - 3:55
- "Space is the Place" (Sonny Emory, J.V. Collier, B.R. Hornsby) - 4:24
- "Michael Raphael" (B.R. Hornsby, Chip DeMatteo) - 2:54
- "Simple Prayer" (B.R. Hornsby, Chip DeMatteo) - 4:04
- "In The Low Country" (B.R. Hornsby) - 4:38
- "I Truly Understand" [Bonus Track] (B.R. Hornsby) - 2:07
Personnel
- Bruce Hornsby – lead vocals, acoustic piano, keyboards, dulcimer
- John "J. T." Thomas – keyboards, organ, guitars
- Doug Derryberry – guitars
- Blake Mills – guitars (1, 3, 9, 10, 12)
- R. S. Hornsby – guitar solo (4)
- Eric Clapton – guitar solo (9)
- J. V. Collier – bass
- Sonny Emory – drums, samples
- Bobby Read – saxophones, clarinet
- Andy Leftwich – fiddle (1)
- Floyd Hill, Jr. – backing vocals (1, 2)
- Eric Jackson – backing vocals
- Tim Smith – backing vocals
- 12-year-old Keith and Russell Hornsby – vocals and rap (9)
Production
- Producers – Bruce Hornsby and Tony Berg
- Production Assistant – Patti Oates Martin
- A&R – Evelyn Morgan
- Recorded and Mixed by Shawn Everett and Wayne Pooley
- Mastered by Stephen Marcussen at Marcussen Mastering (Hollywood, CA).
- Release Coordination – Lisa Hansen, Andy Kman and John Newcott.
- Art Direction – Hollis King
- Graphic Design – Sachico Asano
- Cover Art – Kathy Hornsby
- Photography – Christian Amonson, Katherine Fisher and Carey Wilheim.
- Management – John Scher
- Road Crew – Reggie Bankston, Peter Banta, Caldwell Gray, Chuck Keith and Wayne Pooley.
