Oh, Kerani, when I listen to your new album, Arctic Sunrise, I can just see you standing at your keys with the wind blowing through your hair as the camera slowly circles around you. The mix of neo-classical influences and sweeping electronics, rife with the dynamics of drama…here’s a by-the-book New Age album, as big as they come, a concept album, if you will, inspired by icy landscapes and Inuit legend. Don’t get me wrong–if you like this kind of thing, it’s all here. Kerani’s piano playing is superb (I mean it) and so full of emotion it just about spills over. Bold string pads swell in full orchestration. There’s a whispered recitation, of course, and a joyful dance of a song–“Aurora Sky,” which is quite a bit of fun.

Arctic Sunrise isn’t the kind of album I’d be inclined to listen to if I wasn’t reviewing, but I will say that fans of Vangelis or Yanni and their ilk will probably dig this. Because you’ve heard it before. I can appreciate the talent at work here, but it wears on me in short order and doesn’t mix up the formula enough for me to want to get through it. New Age fans, please go have a listen and judge for yourselves.

Available at CD Baby.