As the title and soft pastel colors of the artwork imply, Fletcher Harris’ debut album, Music from the Heart, is a gentle, soothing collection of original piano solos. The music is not flashy or flamboyant, but the simplicity of the pieces underscores the sincerity of Harris’ approach to composing and playing. In the liner notes, he writes about the origin of each piece, which is always interesting and insightful.

“Beginnings” is Harris’ first composition, written at the age of twelve. It is very mature and expressive for a kid that age, although I’m sure it has evolved over the years - a beautiful piece! “Winding Journey” is more on the ambient side, with a lovely ethereal quality that floats and wanders without a controlling structure. Slightly melancholy and searching, it’s deeply touching. “Forever Hold Me” is a gorgeously passionate love song that flows on a rubato rhythm that emphasizes the emotions involved. The title track is a bit more classical in style, and tells of many different journeys of the heart. “Lost in Thought” is the perfect musical interpretation of what it feels like to be “out there” daydreaming or problem solving, when time loses all meaning and you’re in your own little world - very effective! “Deja Vu” is much darker and more mysterious, and has kind of a Russian flavor. One of my favorites is “A Day of Wandering,” with its rolling triplets in the left hand and searching melody in the right. I love playing pieces like this because I always seem to get lost in them. “To Laura With Love” would be great in a romantic movie soundtrack! “Butterfly” is more of a conceptual piece, and is so delicate that it just floats in the air - exquisite! My favorite track is the closing one, “Swept Away,” which tells the story of a canoe trip among huge boulders, on quiet water, and through the rapids. By varying the tempo and intensity of the music, Harris takes us on quite a tour - a great piece!

Music from the Heart is an impressive debut, and I look forward to more music from Fletcher Harris! Music samples are available at fletcherharris.com and cdbaby.com, and the cd is available for sale at both sites.