Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Pianist and composer John Tesh is a trendy American instrumentalist whose grandiose new album takes us on a journey around the world to sample music from different cultures, or at least sanitised American versions of music from other cultures. The titles of the pieces sort of sum up what you can expect musically, so for "Emerald Bay" you have a pile of Celtic pipes and whistles thrown in the same pot with the Maire-Brennan style floaty vocals. "Valley Of Dreams" has some African-styled percussion and chanting thrown in with the orchestra and "Flamenco Legato"? You guessed it, loads of Spanish guitars. Point Of Grace and James Ingram even turn up to contribute American pop into the equation. All very nice, yes, but just a little too sugary for me. Throughout, Tesh's expert piano trills in and out of the proceedings and although the concept is an interesting one, if you seriously want to create "a celebration of music and dance from around the world" why not just record genuine indigenous music?

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.