Bruce Hornsby is having a moment right now. A mere 33 years after he came to fame with the unforgettable piano-led social consciencepricking ballad The Way It Is, the Virginian singersongwriter has been receiving some of his best-ever reviews for his latest album, Absolute Zero.
In particular, Hornsby has acquired a new cachet with the hipsters, thanks to his association with Justin Vernon, aka the Grammy-winning Bon Iver.
Vernon initially displayed his fondness for Bruce’s music on Beth/Rest, an unmistakable homage to the Hornsby sound that he described as the track he was most proud of on Bon Iver’s self-titled second album. On Absolute Zero he teamed up with his idol to co-write and sing on current single Cast-Off.