Feels Like Happiness is the second solo piano album by David Wohl, following his 2018 debut, Awakening Path. An incredibly versatile composer and musician, Wohl has worked in the music industry wearing a variety of hats for more than thirty years. An award-winning composer for theater, television and multimedia, David continues to enjoy collaborations with directors, producers, filmmakers, musicians, lyricists, choreographers and actors. He is also a sought-after piano teacher! With such wide-ranging experience, it should come as no surprise that there is quite a bit of variety in the fifteen tracks on the album, and yet it flows very smoothly from one piece to the next. A classically-trained musician, David has four college degrees in music (two Bachelor degrees, one Master, and one Doctorate) as well as a wealth of experience in composing music for many different instruments, vocals, orchestras, ensembles and choirs.

Feels Like Happiness begins with “Irish Memory,” a dreamy reminiscence about a very pleasant experience sometime in the past - a great start! “Nearly Autumn” begins in the upper notes of the piano keyboard, gradually moving into the more “normal” playing range. Warm and breezy mixed with a bit of drama, it feels like a piece about change and transition - a favorite! The title track expresses a deeper sense of happiness that lasts rather than something like your favorite kind of pizza! “Yellow Roses” is another favorite and brings images of beautiful flowers moving gracefully to the whims of the wind. “Awakening Path” is “bigger” and more dramatic although it has its quieter moments, too. “Call Me From Amsterdam” feels very much like a tender, perhaps tearful, good-bye or “so long for now.” Deeply emotional and even more beautiful, I really like this one, too! “Freedom River” is very powerful both musically and emotionally with an “Americana” kind of spirit and a melody strong enough to support lyrics (although none are needed to get the point across!). “Mountain Lake Aire” suggests the crispness of mountain air and the beauty of sunlight dancing on the surface of a lake. Both bold and graceful, it’s another favorite. “Kiss of the Moon” is quite different with graceful broken chords moving up and down the keyboard in several sections, becoming solid chords for short passages and then fading out. “And If You Should Ask” is a beautiful, melodic ballad - a “song without words” (and none are needed to tell its story!). “Snowmelt” captures the delicate beauty of melting snow as it sparkles in the winter sun. The album closes with “Hotline Bling,” a rather intriguing title although the piece feels more serious than its name suggests.

Feels Like Happiness is excellent from the first note to the last and really does feel like happiness! The album is available to stream and download from Apple Music/iTunes and to stream on Spotify. Very highly recommended!