Album Review: "Dare to Dream"- Yanni

*Get the album on Amazon here*

With his swarthy good looks and hair a male pattern baldness sufferer like myself would kill for, Yanni was almost as pretty as the music on his album. Unfortunately, more than half the songs here confirm the reputation that New Age/Ambient music has acquired over the years- a lot of this stuff is really good, and a lot of this stuff is slop:

1. Once Upon a Time
The song's sudden start will catch you off guard, and the tune has a touchy feely warm fuzzy ambience to it. It sounds like the end credits to a "The Mighty Ducks" film.

2. A Love for Life
An edgier feel makes this a better listen. Yanni should have opened the album with this.

3. Nice to Meet You
An acoustic violin gives this a jaunty, jazzy, Celtic bounce. Really great.

4. So Long My Friend
Simple and sad piano is punctuated by completely unnecessary background instruments.

5. You Only Live Once
Driving percussion dress up this otherwise average cut, but this is also way too long at over seven minutes.

6. To the One Who Knows
Simple and sad piano is helped this time by background instruments, a nice, plain piece.

7. Face in the Photograph
The piano sails here, in a lush tune that screams for comparable lyrics.

8. Felitsa
I do not know who or what Felitsa is, but this feels contrived and emotionless.

9. Desire
I certainly hope this is not what desire sounds like to Yanni- bored drums and harsh wind instruments.

10. Aria
Taken from a French opera, this is the only cut with vocals on the album. There is more than just a backbeat here, and Yanni re-imagining other operatic works could prove interesting.

11. A Night to Remember
The less than stellar CD starts to wind down with a night I would prefer to forget- too long and repetitive.

12. In the Mirror
The album ends where it begins- on a sour note.

Never mind that the titles sound like greeting card categories at a Hallmark store or the program at a really dull French film festival, the entire effort smacks of mediocrity. I usually like this kind of stuff but the negative outweighs the positive. I must slightly not recommend "Dare to Dream."