Do You Live, Do You Love

by Jonathan WidranWhile never as prominent a name on the new age piano landscape as George Winston or David Lanz, Danny Wright has been one of the genre's top indie artists for well over a decade. His trademark lush, meditational style serves him well with his new label, and he complements his gentle musings with the subtle enhancements of Milo Deering's violin (the wistful musical conversation of the title track) and Joseph Vincelli's flute ("Hayden's Spirit."). While there is always a tinge of melancholy in Wright's music, his best moments find him tickling the higher-end ivories, finding joy amidst the isolation in the higher "elevations." He's also the master of tapping into childlike lullaby qualities to convey the deepest emotions, as on the elegiac "Heaven's Love." Both the title track and the darker-edged, dramatic "In Time We Met" are from his musical, Phantom Immortal. A sweet and romantic addition to Wright's ever-growing catalog.