Reviewing “At Home With Friends”-Joshua Bell’s New Album

Published by admin under In The Begining on September 26, 2009

I had the privilege to review Joshua Bell’s new album At Home With Friends provided by One2One Network. To give you an idea of what’s been playing over and over on my computer & phone here’s the album’s track list:

1. I Loves You Porgy   featuring Chris Botti
2. Come Again   featuring Sting
3. Oblivion   featuring Carel Kraayenhof 
4. Cinema Paradiso   featuring Josh Groban
5. Para Tí   featuring Tiempo Libre
6. My Funny Valentine   featuring Kristin Chenoweth
7. Maybe So   featuring Edgar Meyer Sam Bush and Mike Marshall
8. Grieg: Sonata No. 3   featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff
9. Eleanor Rigby   featuring Frankie Moreno
10. O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair   featuring Nathan Gunn
11. Il Postino   featuring Carel Kraayenhof
12. Left Hand Song   featuring Regina Spektor 
13. Chovendo Na Roseira   featuring Dave Grusin
14. Look Away   featuring Edgar Meyer and Chris Thile 
15. Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin (abridged version)  featuring Anoushka Shankar
16. I’ll Take Manhattan   featuring Marvin Hamlisch

My taste in music is very eclectic, but as a general rule of thumb whatever just sounds good to me gets added to my playlist. I enjoyed a couple of Joshua Bell’s previous albums, but I must say this one takes the cake! I thoroughly enjoyed this CD .#’s 1,4,14, and 15 go’n on the playlist. I like ‘em all, but those are my favorites.I don’t think this album was like any of his compositions I’ve ever heard. I don’t think it had anything to do with his playing though. I mean he’s a great violinist, and that wasn’t what was different. I think it had a lot to  with the mission behind the album. You could feel the warth and friendship oozing from their music. It embodies the title At Home With Friends;you truly feel that you’re at his home listening to him jam out with friends (and man does dude have some awesome friends!**cough**Sting**cough**).  I’m a nerd, but I always read the lil book/jackets whatever you call them when I get CD’s. Being as that I am an artist (or at least I’d like to think so….yes I’m delusional at times) I respect and find it interesting what other artists have to say about their work.  Joshua Bell’s introduction to this album was no exception. He talked about how as a young child his family would have friends and family over and host musicals. Then as an adult he enjoyed having his friends over and doing the same thing. Well his parents should be estatic because something they did just inspired the best music I think their son has ever made haha. Don’t take my word for it though. I’d check it out on his website. I am kinda envious of my family and friends back in my home state of Illinois because next month he’s going to be in Chicao performing -_- lol.

****UPDATE: on 11|23|2009 I won a $25 gift card for participating in this One2One event