The opuses are very similarly played which, although lending to a nice flow throughout, means it all goes together too well. Unfortunately, it's tough to say that Fantasies & Delusions overcomes this task. In addition, it's really a challenge to make over an hour of piano-only instrumental pieces feel differentiated from each other. Most listeners will likely put the album down well before the halfway mark because of how long most of the individual tracks are. Even with wonderful piano melodies and tunes being the music (literally), it's simply not enough. Again, technically speaking the music is fine, but there's next to no distinguishing characteristics. Yet this also leads to what Fantasies & Delusions fails to accomplish: stand out. However, credit at least has to be given for Joel and Joo giving us an acceptable and, all told, nicely played collection which is perfect for relaxing to. Some might compare it to elevator music, or think of it as little more than what an instructor would use for training piano students. The melodies and piano-playing we're given are nicely handled, lending a rather good level of progression for just one instrument. Granted, a key reason behind this is because Joel and performer Richard Joo are clearly paying homage and tribute to influences from music's classical days. So, given that this is a long-winded collection of ten piano opuses, one still might be curious as to how it all holds up. In other words: Joel has released an album that's intended for very specific audiences especially when compared to what he'd given us since Cold Spring Harbor. Fantasies & Delusions has no problem taking time, clocking in past the 75-minute mark. One should also bear in-mind that this isn't a short trip. No vocals, no drums, no guitar just the piano. As the album's subtitle alludes, the only instrument present is the piano. Rather, it's due to the sharp divergence from everything that he's done. The reason Fantasies & Delusions is one that even Joel's most faithful followers aren't advised to hear isn't because the music is bad. And what we're left with is a long swan song of a collection, one that a few might enjoy, but most are probably advised to ignore. Of course, since it's been over a decade since this collection hit stores, this could also be described as the end of his studio releases altogether. Instead, Joel decided to release Fantasies & Delusions: Music for Solo Piano as what one might call the "start" of his new era. And even with that in-mind, this didn't mean he'd give us more of what we'd come to expect of his well-lived musical career. For after his critically-divided final pop/rock album, we were left waiting eight years before he'd give us new content. When Joel concluded River of Dreams by singing "these are the last words I have to say," it was something that most of his fans could have been advised to take literally. Review Summary: Joel's last effort is a classical throwback that sounds nice, but lacks personality.
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