Rainy-day music

Joe Jackson has been recording music since 1979, when he released his debut album Look Sharp!, which had the hit "Is She Really Going Out With Him?" Although he has been releasing music on a fairly steady basis since then, that song has proven to be his biggest hit. It will most likely be the song he's always known for, but his sound has evolved a great deal since then.\nRain is his first album since 2004's Afterlife, and piano dominates the new album's sound. This release is full of jazz, pop and rock elements. \nRain starts off strong with jazz piano and Jackson's yearning vocals on "Invisible Man," which quickly turns into a sweet, soft, piano melody that sounds like Five for Fighting meets Jim Brickman, with a touch of jazz and melancholy thrown in. The Five for Fighting-esque piano themes continue with "Rush Across The Road," a fairly soft song that teeters between mid-tempo piano rock and soft pop.\n"King Pleasure Time" is the fastest song on the CD, a just-under-three-minute tune that sounds like the rockabilly piano of Jerry Lee Lewis mixed with the echoing vocals of David Bowie. The song's echoed vocals and repeating bass line drive most of the song like the piano does on the rest of the album.\nA common theme for this album is for a mid-paced jazz song to quickly turn into a soft, heartfelt melody, then back again. One of these songs, "Too Tough," starts out like a typical jazz piano tune, then quickly softens into a piano melody. Rainy-day jazz would be a good way to describe this piano-filled album.\nRain has a few low points, such as "Solo (So Low)," and "Good Bad Boy," which drone on in melancholy jazz lite. However, most of the album has an upbeat feel with strong melodies and rhythmic changes. Jackson may have departed from the hits that made a name for him, but he still upholds his reputation as a talented musician.