It's an awfully long time since we were treated to anything completely new from Billy Joel, which is a great shame.

OK, the Billy Joel musical, Movin' Out, is playing on Broadway, if you happen to be in New York City, and there has been his venture into the classical genre, but no proper new album since River Of Dreams in 1994.

Surely an artist responsible for She's Always A Woman, New York State Of Mind and Just The Way You Are can't have completely lost his muse? In the meantime, all manner of greatest hits and box set packages have been released, and Piano Man is the most concise set yet for those wanting a simple greatest hits collection from an artist seriously absent without leave.

Updated: 09:00 Thursday, January 20, 2005