There’s something very calm and elegant about the title track from Valerie Mih’s new release. It sounds very much like something that goes perfectly on an autumn’s day with its somber but moving melody. Mih is a pianist who basically works in the instrumental mode, letting her keyboards tell the story. Unfortunately, like other artists of this style, Mih doesn’t escape the scene without a lot of this disc sounding the same. After the great opening title tune, the trio of “Flow,” “Little One,” and “Interwoven” are almost interchangeable if you’re not paying close attention. “Reflections” goes for a bit more of a sparse sound and works better, sounding like something between Vince Guaraldi and John Costa. “Saturn’s Rings” employs Mih’s accordion and also is a welcome sound. Everything on this album is very delicate yet not too ornate. It’s certainly better than other albums I’ve heard lately that fall into the same sort of musical category, but Mih could definitely stand to change up the atmosphere a bit more. (self-released)
