Search - Chris Spheeris :: Best of 1990-2000

It is thus far well established that Chris Spheeris, well-traveled Sedona resident and New Age heartthrob, creates his signature sound from the textures of romance, global exoticism, and heavy layers. More is nearly always more. More keyboards, more fancy guitar fretwork, more variance in tempo, rhythm, and emotional tenor. This is further evidenced by The Best of Chris Spheeris 1990-2000, which draws from the multi-instrumentalist's Higher Octave debut, Dancing with the Muse (reissued in 2000), and moves forward. Spheeris himself chose the pieces for this retrospective and sandwiched them between two new compositions, a fanciful Celtic-inspired number called "Looking Back" and the surprisingly understated solo-piano composition "Rendezvous." Standouts are the Middle-Eastern flavored "Magaya" from Dancing with the Muse, the horn-accented "Field of Tears" from Desires of the Heart, and, most especially, the aforementioned "Rendezvous," which seems to take inspiration from "My Funny Valentine." Neither for purists nor lovers of subtlety, 1990-2000 is a good starting place for new Spheeris fans. --Paige La Grone