Latest releases reviewed

BILLY JOEL
Piano Man - The Very Best Of
Columbia/Sony
***

The man is, literally, from Hicksville USA, yet for quite some time the word Hitsville equally applied: Billy Joel is the third best-selling solo artist in US recording history; only Elton John and Garth Brooks are ahead of him. He now concentrates, apparently, on writing classical music scores, tiring of the pressures from and constraints of the commercial pop industry. Money isn't a problem, obviously; not only does his back catalogue continue to sell in its thousands, but his touring stage show, Movin' Out, collects the royalties in a big bucket every week. As an essentially autobiographical pop songwriter, he's of variable quality: for every simplistic, effective and occasionally contentious ballad (Piano Man, Just The Way You Are, She's Always A Woman) there's a portentous, overwrought parallel (We Didn't Start the Fire). Intermittently, there's an indelible, enduring pop classic (Uptown Girl) and an effortlessly casual way with a fine melody (An Innocent Man). Diehard fans might argue with the Very Best subtitle, but the fair weather type can use their Christmas tokens without fear of being disappointed. Tony Clayton-Lea

DOLOREAN
Violence in the Snowy Fields
Yep Roc
****

First thought: what a gorgeous album on which to end the year. Second thought: they sound a bit like America. Third thought: er, no they don't. All of which adds up to something of a puzzle. From Portland, Oregan, Dolorean and main songwriter Al James don't exactly fit any profile; a smidgen of Wild Honey-era Beach Boys, a more guitar-led and urgent Band and a hint of Buffalo Springfield lend an air of warmth and rusticity to the music, but there's something else about Dolorean that rings a bell. The simple but robust melodies allied to utterly despondent lyrics (the synchronised suicide pact of Dying in Time, the clinking of champagne flutes in To Destruction, the title alone of The Righteous Shall Destroy the Precious, the title track) ensure all is not well. Yet why does such doleful music sound so beautiful? Happy Xmas your arse, etc. www.dolorean.com  - Tony Clayton-Lea