REVIEWS

Long Island's Joe Piket and The Storm Release Everything is Different on Fredsson Records

https://www.marketpressrelease.com/Long-Islands-Joe-Piket-and-The-Storm-Release-Everything-is-Different-on-Fredsson-Records-1627715765.html

July 31, 2021

Long Island, NY, July 31, 2021 -- Based on Long Island, New York, Fredsson Records recording artist Joe Piket, recently named PIANO ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR in the Newsday/Bethpage BEST OF LONG ISLAND POLL, has proven to be one of the most prolific songwriters and performers of the modern age.

Performing and sometimes collaborating with the likes of Chuck Berry, Leon Russell, Jason Bonham, Dee Snyder, Richie Cannata (Billy Joel, Beach Boys), Ricky Byrd (Joan Jett, Roger Daltry), Schuyler Deale (bassist with Billy Joel and Michael Bolton, among others), Peter O'Brien (Orleans, Edgar Winter), Mick Gaffney, Renaissance, Randy Jackson, Damon Johnson, and Johnny Maestro & the Brooklyn Bridge, Joe has always lived up to expectations.

Now, displaying the musical versatility of Billy Joel and Paul McCartney by adapting his music to a variety of styles, Piket, the son of internationally acclaimed composer Frederick Piket, jumps in with his eclectic album release; Everything Is Different. And Everything is Different hits the bull's eye every time.

The record features eight tracks of primarily original songs, all in different styles. Piket pushes the envelope by taking chances most musicians are afraid to take, displaying his creativity by employing a wide variety of genres on one album. Those genres range from Doo- Wop, Americana, Prog-rock, Blues Rock, and Reggae to a Jazz Standard. It's courageous – but It works.

"There's very little Piket won't try, and the remarkable thing is that he consistently makes you a believer." Clay Burton - Independent Music & Arts.

We asked Piket what he looks for when he listens to other songwriters and bands. Without hesitation, he replied: "One thing that often disappoints me when listening to new music by a favorite band or songwriter is when everything starts to sound the same. Maybe there is something to be said for repeating a successful formula, but it seems to me that by definition, CREATING music (or any art form) demands, more than anything, that you are not redundant"

We further inquired of Joe, what is your songwriting process? "I get lyric and story ideas from reading, from lectures, and from people and situations I encounter. Musically, I usually begin with a riff or a chord progression. I have what I call my "wall of ideas" where I have a lot of snippets of paper pasted and tacked on there.

Sometimes I take two or three of these and see how they might work together. Or sometimes an idea comes to me while I'm sleeping. An example of that is WHEN THESE GATES COME CRASHING DOWN, from the TEMPEST CD. I woke up and had it 98% written. So, my wife has learned not to be shocked when I jump out of bed at 3 AM and start writing things down. I also make it a point to avoid cliches, and to avoid saying the same thing twice."

“It's rare to hear musical artists capable of covering a wide variety of sounds. Most discover a path they can walk early on and soon trod it into dust, but Joe Piket keeps his options open.” - Mindy McCall, Indie Music Pulse

As for advice to up-and-coming artists, Joe states, “Learn theory, learn to read music, study composition. There are a lot of great players who have no idea how to be creative. Trying to be a songwriter without a musical education is like painting in the dark using only three colors”.

Everything is Different is available for streaming and download at Spotify, iTunes, and Amazon, and you can view all of Joe’s videos on YouTube. For more information on this fantastic artist, visit his website at www.joepiket.com. Better yet, google "Joe Piket". Everything is Different – Fredsson Records.

For more information: http://www.allureartists.com

Veteran Musician Joe Piket Releases “Everything is Different” LP

https://imaai.org/veteran-musician-joe-piket-releases-everything-is-different-lp/

June 25, 2021 by Clay Burton

Joe Piket has enjoyed a long career working in the indie music scene. His longest success is, without question, under the banner Joe Piket and the Storm, but few musical collaborations, even the most fruitful, last forever. His solo release Everything is Different features eight tracks, two songs covers, and a breathtaking style range. There’s apparently very little Piket won’t try and the remarkable thing is that he consistently makes you a believer after thinking, perhaps a few seconds in, there’s no way he’ll pull it off.

URL: www.joepiket.com/

I laughed the first time I heard the transition from classical to doo wop that begins “Now I Have Everything” in earnest. I stopped laughing long before it ended. The opening is lush but doesn’t last long and the vocal harmonies he strings throughout the doo wop portion of the song. It never hits a false note. Even a single listen to this track reveals a performer truly in love with the form rather than entertaining himself with a novelty.

“Coke Stevenson” has a near folk rock vibe with jangling guitars anchored by a persistent backbeat with plenty of snap. The vocal arrangement is another fantastic facet of this performance; alternating between the deliberately dry delivery of the verses with the multi-tracked scat vocals gives the song variety it otherwise would lack. “My Rear View Mirror” signals another stylistic change-up as Piket successfully invokes reggae with the conviction of someone who has played this style all their lives. Like the opener, there is never any sense of Piket “playing around”. His affection for the style shines through.

“Hard to be Good” pairs well with the earlier “Coke Stevenson” despite breaking with the earlier track in terms of instrumentation. This is a much fuller affair, yet the song never feels weighed down. The addition of horns provides plenty of musical firepower for this effort and it arguably boasts the song’s finest chorus. “She’s Funny That Way” hits the sweet spot for me as a listener thanks to its immense soulfulness, but it also wisely never seeks to clutter the arrangement or otherwise make overwrought changes to this classic. It takes considerable courage for a singer to cover Billie Holliday, but it’s a quality Piket has in spades.

“Another Age” revisits the progressive inklings heard during the earlier “Piles” but expands on them. The track runs a little over nine minutes long and is both a vocal and lyrical showcase. It is nothing short of impressive how Piket continually pulls musical rabbits out of his hat during the course of this collection and “Another Age” is a stunning conclusion for Everything is Different. Joe Piket is far from a newcomer, but there’s no question he brings passion to the writing and recording of his solo work that matches anything younger performers dare attempt. His connection to his Muse seems well nigh impervious and doesn’t bother worrying about what is or isn’t in fashion. Good and great music are always in fashion regardless of personal tastes.

- Clay Burton

"In the spirit of Billy Joel and Harry Chapin comes another local singer/songwriter who captures the personality of the every-man; his name is Joe Piket.....Piket received praise for his sensational song-writing abilities on his debut album, NINE TIMES FRAMED, which put him in the local spotlight as an outstanding songwriter and storyteller. Now, with TEMPEST, expect a lot more of the same."

— Don Sill, Good Times Magazine

"The instrumentation is of professional-caliber: the bass plugs away like lightning; the guitar work is exceptional, especially on the solos; the drums ride the Prog into the sunset; the synth glitters like the sun drenched waters of Lethe. The entire song is very well done: one-half Andrew Lloyd Webber, one-half Yes....Pure Prog Gold. Great work."

— KPC, Orange Entropy Records Independent Reviews

"JOE PIKET AND THE STORM are one of the best-sounding live bands on the Long Island scene. Period. Their music is colorful, the lyrics are meaningful, and their overall sound is sharp and powerful."

— Andrew Sulo, Power of Music Productions

"When he's not sounding like Warren Zevon or Iggy Pop, Joe Piket's greatest strength is in his fingers."

— Kevin Amorin, Newsday

"Zero To Ninety"is better than most commercially successful pop music."

— Matthew Sheahan, NYSounds.com

Musician Joe Piket Drops New Single/Video

November 11, 2021 by Chadwick Easton

https://melodymakermagazine.com/2021/11/11/musician-joe-piket-drops-new-single-video/

Joe Piket’s new single “Talk Like a Musician” is an anomaly in the Long Island, New York singer/songwriter’s career. Piket has built his reputation as a superb live performer on his own and as front man for Joe Piket and the Storm, but his songwriting has drawn attention for its stylistic breadth, fresh twists within existing traditions, and individuality. I never expected to hear anyone revisit The Bangles’ 1986 mega-hit “Walk Like an Egyptian” in 2021, much less as a jumping off point for a parody tune. It doesn’t denigrate the original.

Piket treats the Bangles’ pop-rock gem with immense respect. His cohorts in the song’s creation, Nelson Montana’s playing on an assortment of instruments and co-author Liam Sternberg, re-envision the track. It’s cut from, essentially, the same cloth as the original but maintains the same vocal melody. The song’s guitar sounds synthesized but nonetheless has plenty of bite. The production is an in-house effort, much like the track’s video, but satisfying.

The song’s sound and the video package seem to be products of the pandemic. Eighteen plus months of a global pandemic has forced songwriters and musicians to adopt a different way of working if they want to keep going and Piket has responded. The production values for the song and video may sound and look low budget, but they are never amateurish.

It’s a lyric video and this allows viewers to enjoy Piket’s sense of humor. The song is never really laugh out loud funny but keeps a smile on your face from the first line through the last. Much of that is thanks to the clear pleasure Piket takes in revamping the song for his own uses. The imagery included in the video complements the lyrics without ever seeming forced.

It’s a lot of fun hearing Piket concoct new lines and rhymes within this familiar vocal melody. Piket’s physicality and facial expressions during the clip are among the clip’s highlights for me. A perhaps underrated highlight of the single are the serio-comic tendencies attentive listeners can hear in the lyric.

Piket isn’t serving up his musical masterpiece with this song. He’s having fun, it’s probably more of an inside joke than we realize as I can imagine Piket playing this for musician friends and sharing a hearty laugh. Its possible weakness may lie there. It will play on nostalgia for some listeners but, overall, will be funnier for Piket’s fellow musicians than anyone else. Don’t get me wrong, it is funny no matter who you are, but he’s aimed it at a certain crowd in particular.

Joe Piket will soon be back to playing and releasing his customary material. “Talk Like a Musician” is a throwaway, yes, but it gives listeners an unexpected glimpse of another side to this artist. It shows off his long-established intelligence and skill in much different light than his aforementioned work with the Storm and recent solo releases such as Everything is Different and Songwriter, Volume 1.

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Joe Piket – Talk Like a Musician (SINGLE)

November 11, 2021 by Rachel Townsend

https://thespottedcatmagazine.com/2021/11/11/joe-piket-talk-like-a-musician-single/

Joe Piket has established himself well enough as, performer, bandleader and musician that he can pull something like this off. His new single “Talk Like a Musician” is a rare bird nowadays, a “spoof” or parody song, but don’t let that fool you into thinking it has scant musical value. Piket’s far too good to let that happen. The Long Island, New York based musician has built much of his outstanding reputation as bandleader of Joe Piket and the Storm, but he’s released compelling solo material in recent years. Everything is Different covers a broad array of musical styles and its follow-up Songwriter, Volume 1 revisits his youthful songwriting as a sort of return to his roots.

The new single doesn’t slavishly imitate The Bangles. The late 80’s hit for the famous all-girl pop rock band was a definite product of its times as the 80’s production emphasized radio-friendly pop gloss above all else. Piket takes the track in rockier direction, albeit never too much so. His version of the track focuses more on a traditional guitar-led pop rock attack. Piket has always worked with talented collaborators and this is no exception. Liam Sternberg’s music and Nelson Montana’s multi-instrumental performance are key reasons for the song’s success.

The video for the track has a strong DIY flavor but will disappoint few. Piket has a light but undeniable comedic presence and the sly nod to stereotypical rock excess, a double neck electric guitar, is worth a smile from listeners with a similar sense of humor. Interspersing various images into the video, including classical composers among them, livens things up instead of focusing on Piket alone.

His lyric writing is great fun. The rhymes aren’t always exact, but they are close enough when they aren’t. There’s actually a little subtext running underneath the song, frustration with being a musician in a world that doesn’t often take musicians seriously, but it doesn’t dampen the otherwise enthusiastic comedy powering Piket’s take on the Bangles and this wry take on being a professional musician.

It doesn’t stand with his earlier work in terms of making a substantive statement. It isn’t supposed to. Consider this something akin to a five finger exercise from one of the independent music’s scenes most talented and hardest working musicians. We need songs like this every bit as much as we need a heart-wrenching ballad, a kick out the jams rocker, or any other great song. It sounds like a spoof that came bursting out of Piket in a single sitting rather than something he belabored.

It’s a nice trifle but, ultimately, an entertaining distraction between Piket’s more serious material. You hear his intelligence bursting through nearly every line, however, and it’s enjoyable hearing him ridiculously elongating lines just to get the rhyme he wants/needs. It never comes off as tacky or too obvious. Piket’s humor isn’t excessively brainy but has a wry wink a cut above your everyday chuckles. “Talk Like a Musician” is good, entertaining fun and should enjoy widespread appeal.

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"Now this is cool cool cool...A fine fine mix of early (Sil)Marillion, classic Kansas, Deep Purple, early Musical Box Genesis – A bombastic, delicate, intricate, warm, anthemic, rocking old school prog feast...big bad, bouncy and meaty. Great big blues edged (Jon Lord flavoured) organ counter...warm reflective keyboard interlude...Steve Rothery style choral guitar … carry on my wayward son….it rules."

— www.organart.com

"Joe Piket and the Storm are definitely one of the best "live" bands you'll ever see. Joe Piket is a great songwriter, add that to personal ability and a great band, then you'll know what we mean."

— Cliff Bowdin, New Music Showcase

"Joe Piket is not only a superb songwriter, he's also an accomplished pianist. If you're into deep lyrics and contemporary pop that has meaning, you should give JOE PIKET AND THE STORM a chance."

— Janelle Jones, L.I.E.

"So come meet the new Boss...Joe Piket and The Storm...Joe Piket can best be described as the Bruce Springsteen of Long Island."

— Mike Ferrari, Aural Fix

"When I see these guys walking through the door, I say 'Thank G-d!'"

— George Marshall, sound engineer, The Downtown, Farmingdale, N.Y.

Joe Piket’s Latest Single “Talk Like a Musician”

November 11, 2021 by Claire Uebelacker

https://ballyhoomagazine.com/2021/11/11/joe-pikets-latest-single-talk-like-a-musician/

Culture, Events, Fashion, Music

Joe Piket’s new single “Talk Like a Musician” revamps The Bangles’ pop classic “Walk Like an Egyptian”. It’s an unexpected novelty tune from a songwriter known for his piano-driven songwriting, stellar live work with band and longtime musical partners The Storm, and wide-ranging command of multiple genres. Labeling the track a novelty tune isn’t a slight. The idea that novelty tunes are poorly played impromptu efforts is a cliché; “Talk Like a Musician” maintains impressive fidelity to The Bangles’ track but Piket and his creative partners on the release stamp the song with their own personality.

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/jppianoman/?hl=en

It apes the original’s arrangement and sound, for the most part. You may hear subtle variations along the way. The music centers around the bass and drums, like the original, and even incorporates the occasional guitar flourishes heard in the Bangles’ original. The guitar, however, doesn’t occupy the same boisterous position in the mix. There is a muted quality to the recording – it’s obvious Piket and his collaborators chose to prioritize the vocal over the musical backing. It doesn’t diminish the track, however, but makes it different.

It gains a lot paired with Piket’s music video. The vibrant strand of humor running through the lyrics and accompanying visuals culled from a wide variety of sources, will appeal to many. Kudos to Piket for even going so far as including the brief female scat singing right before the track’s payoff line. It’s also a moment when the video and song come together particularly well.

It’s a little bit of an unusual subject for a song. It isn’t a stretch to believe, however, that musicians, like any practitioners of a specialized profession, chafe after time when they hear laymen and women butcher names, musical terms, and generally show their ignorance about music. It’s a great example of finding humor in unexpected places, but it may play well for a limited audience.

It’s undeniably funny, however. The funniest moments for many will likely be hearing the unlikely rhymes Piket pulls off time after time. His vocal is delivered in an amusing monotone, but he varies it at key points without ever changing the overall character of the song. The countless musical references scattered throughout the lyric reflect Piket’s musical knowledge without ever landing flat for listeners.

There’s no shame in saying “Talk Like a Musician” is an endearing distraction. Piket, like the rest of us, has had to change things up a great deal over the last two years and singles such as this are likely a longtime musician’s way of coping with the lockdown. It has the same love for performing, writing, and making music that characterizes all of Joe Piket’s work. He isn’t attempting to make a big statement about life, take on the world through song, or rhapsodize about love. “Talk Like a Musician” has much more modest aims. Entertaining listeners, however, is always a noble goal in whatever guise it takes. Joe Piket honors a pop-rock monster, as well, with personality and respect.

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JOE PIKET’S “TALK LIKE A MUSICIAN”

November 10, 2021 by Michael Rand

https://mobangeles.com/joe-pikets-talk-like-a-musician/

Joe Piket’s “Talk Like a Musician” takes the unofficial award for 2021[‘s unlikeliest riff on a pop classic. You can’t really call his take on The Bangles’ mid-80’s pop smash “Talk Like an Egyptian” a spoof or parody, it has nothing to do with the original’s lyrics, but you can’t call it a cover. Piket’s version of the song recasts the original’s arrangement with a different sound and emphasis in the mix, adopts the vocal melody as much as possible, but offers an entirely new lyric.

It chooses the agonies musicians experience routinely hearing non-musicians talk as if they know something about music. There’s a certain amount of elitism in the words, but it’s never the off-putting variety. Piket never comes off like he’s tired of enduring idiots and needed to vent, there’s too much humor in the lyrics. His songwriting skill shines through in the words. He crafts several comedic opportunities into the cut trying to find rhymes for some of his lines, but never fails to deliver the goods. Even if he keeps a straight face throughout the song’s video, you can almost feel him grinning throughout the performance.

The video is a fantastic companion piece. Piket goes with the lyric video concept for this production and it’s a shrewd move. It’s a collection of music related images, including Spinal Tap of all things, and has a variety of sources, including photographs and illustrations. The video alternates these visuals with a sunglasses-clad and expressionless Piket in various poses, some with a double-neck electric guitar.

It’s a perfect marriage of promotional clip and song. Piket wants listeners to have a good time and they will, but he also manages to satisfy a personal need. Comedy or not, you don’t write this track unless you’ve got loads of stories about fans and other observers mangling music discussions. It takes an impressive amount of imagination to find humor in this that even non-musicians can appreciate. “Talk Like a Musician” has across the board application, if you think about it – a cook, auto mechanic, many professionals can appreciate Piket’s humorous sentiments.

The mix works for what it needs to do. Some listeners will wish the guitar, when it comes in, could be a little more prominent, but the rhythm section has plenty of punch. The song’s production handles the vocals well, though the backing vocals may sound thin to some. They are infrequent, however, and have little effect on the overall result.

So it’s a novelty song. It’s a creative and memorable track, however, and holds up under repeated listens. It’s far from a peak moment in Joe Piket’s career, it won’t likely merit much of a mention in career summations, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile. It’s a small but rewarding gift from a supremely talented musician and songwriter in another year where such pure enjoyment is sometimes scant. “Talk Like a Musician” will bring a smile to all but the most jaded listeners and is deserving of your time. 

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Newsday

March 13, 2008 by Rafer Guzman

Smart, funny, unpredictable and potentially polarizing, "Father Time," the latest disc on Elijah Records from East Meadow's Joe Piket and The Storm, ranks as a cut above the usual singer-songwriter genre. The 10 tracks range from catchy power-pop to rock bombast to possible political commentary - more on that later.

Piket's ageless voice combines adult wisdom with adolescent energy, making him an appealing, authoritative frontman. He kicks off with "Payin' the Price for Spring," a chugging pop-rock track about childhood, parenthood and how such ideas change over time: "He's sure that I'm irrelevant, and listening is a chore / My father was intelligent/I've seen this show before." Wait - did this guy just fit the entire cycle of life into four minutes and 28 seconds? Not bad. What's next?

Next comes a plethora of styles, from the folk-rock title track to a Queen-style workout called "Summercrimes," complete with an operatic chorus. Piket also includes an aggrandized cover of the Beatles' "She's Leaving Home," adding his own updated lyrics ("meeting the man from that chat-room she found"). It's either a feat of derring-do or a ghastly failure - 10 listens later, you may still find yourself unable to decide.

But the album's most intriguing track is "Song for Peace (Peace Through Strength)." Piket's tone is arch as he sings of characters who preach pacifism - a bullied schoolboy, an overly trusting property owner - only to find themselves used and abused. At first it seems like dark satire, akin to Randy Newman's "Short People." Then comes the bridge: "Peace is more than just the absence of war/ Where there's freedom there's an army to thank."

Hmm. Does this bouncy, shimmering pop tune really hide the talons of a hawk? Are Piket's kindhearted characters empathetic or just pathetic? Suddenly, those lovely la-la-la's from the girl backup singers sound more like nasty nyah-nyah-nyah's. No matter where Piket stands politically, the song is a thought-provoking doozy, much like the rest of his charmingly nettlesome disc.

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“Everything is Different” by Music Legend Joe Piket

https://indiemusicreviews.net/everything-is-different-by-music-legend-joe-piket/

August 6, 2021 by Bobby Miles

Music legend Joe Piket’s Everything is Different comes off, in some ways, like a look at the Long Island singer/songwriter’s musical DNA. The eight songs are distinguished by a willingness to wear many hats rather than taking a cookie cutter slant on this collection. Piket made much of his musical reputation playing with the band The Storm and a combination of prior studio releases and impassioned live shows established the act among the pre-eminent “indie” acts working out of the area. The sound of this album, however, is the sound of a musical imagination freed from any shackles to his past and eager to follow his Muse wherever she may lead.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/JoePiketMusic/

The first place she takes him is back into the past. A golden oldies vibe dominates much of “Now I Have Everything” but Piket cannot resist the temptation to add some flourish to an already audacious piece. The vocal arrangement is spot-on for the performance but the production isn’t quite as seamless as some may like. It is, nonetheless, an attention-grabbing opener. “Coke Stevenson” spins listeners in an one hundred eighty degree direction into the American South and a guitar-driven arrangement. The drummer is authoritative throughout and the song’s overall sound redeems any quibbles you might have with how Piket framed the first track.

“My Breath to You” features another exceptional drumming performance. This track has one of the more memorable grooves on this album and the snap of individual instrumentation gives the jazz texture ample physicality. The R&B tendencies of the sixth track “Hard to Be Good” will hit many listeners as a natural choice for the band’s live set and a good pick for a single. Its verses, choruses, and instrumental breaks alike charge ahead with purpose and complement one another. He tops it off with an enthusiastic vocal.

“She’s Funny That Way” covers Billie Holliday with great results. Piket is appropriately deferential to the original, but he likewise attempts to put his own stamp on Holliday’s classic vocal. The song’s fundamentals are so solid it is difficult to imagine a talented singer blundering their way through the composition. Piket focuses on giving the song’s character a convincing voice and its atmospheric potential.

APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/everything-is-different/1420368125

“Another Age” shows us another side of his musical character. The progressive tendencies only hinted at in the earlier “Piles” are in full bloom with this song. Dazzling keyboard passages are among the highlights of this extended track and the drumming, once again, gives the song a rhythmic foundation that carries it through. The canvas, however, is much larger than before. Piket never fails to fill it, however, with a compelling spectrum of colors and it holds your attention until the end.

Everything is Different is the right album for this point in Joe Piket’s musical journey. COVID has hit the reset button for many of us, in many ways, and these eight songs set a definitive tone of possibility going forward from here. It has the imagination, skill, and daring to stand out in a crowded musical landscape. 

- Zachary Rush

‘Everything is Different’ by Piano man Joe Piket

https://skopemag.com/2021/07/21/everything-is-different-by-piano-man-joe-piket

July 21, 2021 by Skope

It takes considerable daring to include an outright progressive track near ten minutes in length, a doo wop song colliding with some classical, and a heartland rocker on a single album. Joe Piket doesn’t care. He goes a step further with the eight track release entitled Everything is Different. The album opener “Now I Have Everything” is a bold way of introducing his solo release. The meshing of classical in its intro before it shifts into doo wop. Piket’s versatility as a vocalist is one of the abiding strengths of this release.

 He doesn’t have a classically beautiful or trained voice but, as I have read about other singers, it has lots of character. His talents for phrasing and inhabiting a “character” comes across beautifully during the track “Coke Stevenson”. Guitar isn’t one of the album’s dominant instruments in a traditional sense, you will be hard pressed to find much in the way of guitar heroics during this release, but the second song comes closest. 

It recalls, in spirit, the work of singer/songwriters such as John Mellancamp, Tom Petty, et al, without leaning too heavily on the genre’s tropes. Invoking the name of a long forgotten Texas governor, in my opinion, is about as American as it gets. It follows a narrative closer than any other track on Everything is Different and, as such, gives listeners another angle on Piket’s songwriting talents.

“My Breath to You” is one of my favorite moments on the album. The lyrics for the first verse are flawless, each line flowing into the next, and the remainder of the cut maintains the same high standard. It has jazzy inclinations reminiscent of Steely Dan, but less self-conscious. The juxtaposition of Piket’s dark yet eloquent lyrics with such an inviting musical arrangement makes the song stand out more.

Rollicking piano linking with a vibrant horn section is enough for me to love “Hard to Be Good”. Piket’s powerhouse singing for this song, however, and the punchy chorus enhance its existing appeal. The finale “Another Age” is almost ten minutes long but never overstays its welcome. It isn’t Piket’s first nod to progressive rock ambitions, the earlier “Piles” has a similar yet scaled back sound, but adds an emphatic exclamation point to this release that should leave a few jaws agape. There seems to be little he cannot do.

APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/everything-is-different/1420368125

Everything is Different has eight songs but pays off like a double album without any discernible dips in quality. When you break with a longtime band and take the plunge into a solo career, it behooves you to meet the moment with the best creations you can bring to meet that moment. Joe Piket shows up to impress with this collection and I believe its long reach is more than justified. Nothing seems beyond this guy. Long Island’s Joe Piket is an audacious songwriter, without question, and his release Everything is Different goes in a handful of directions few other performers or songwriters dare to travel. It’s well worth taking the trip with him. 

Joe Piket

Gwen Waggoner