''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 Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simone, ...

. 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 ''SCKBSTD'' is a musical theatre, musical with music and lyrics by Bruce Hornsby, Chip deMatteo and a book by Clay McLeod Chapman, produced in 2011. The story is about what happens to a family when a mysterious stranger arrives in a small town b ...

. The title track was used in

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

'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 Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

, Hornsby's twin sons Russell and Keith,

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

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 Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...

Calvin Broadus Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

, 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"

onus Track Onus, from Latin, indicates accountability/responsibility Onus may also refer to: * Blame * Burden (disambiguation) * Legal burden of proof (''onus probandi'') As a surname * Bill Onus (1906-68), Australian Aboriginal political activist, boom ...

(B.R. Hornsby) - 2:07

Personnel

* Bruce Hornsby – lead vocals, acoustic piano, keyboards, dulcimer * John "J. T." Thomas – keyboards,

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, guitar * Doug Derryberry – guitar *

Blake Mills Blake Mills (born September 21, 1986) is an American songwriter, guitarist, producer, and composer based in California. Biography Blake Mills was born in Santa Monica, California, United States, and grew up in Malibu, where he attended Malibu ...

– guitar (1, 3, 9, 10, 12) * R. S. Hornsby – guitar solo (4) *

– guitar solo (9) * J. V. Collier – bass * Sonny Emory – drums, samples * Bobby Read – saxophones,

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

* Andy Leftwich –

fiddle A fiddle is a bowed string musical instrument, most often a violin. It is a colloquial term for the violin, used by players in all genres, including classical music. Although in many cases violins and fiddles are essentially synonymous, th ...

(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.

Charts

References

{{Authority control 2009 albums Bruce Hornsby albums Albums produced by Tony Berg Verve Records albums