Billy Joel's decade-ending work is undoubtedly one of the highlights of his long career, a reminder of a time when he could work magic without a full symphony orchestra. Joel's music is first-rate, energetic - even in the ballads - and never repetitive. But the real gems here are the lyrics. "We Didn't Start the Fire" must be the most entertaining history lesson ever, the wonderfully melancholical "The Downeaster Alexa" tells us the story of an angrily struggling Long Island fisherman and even the end of the Cold War - a topic too often enkitsched in other songs - is treated well in "Leningrad."

9 out of 10.