New music from George Skaroulis is always a special treat and Dreams of Greece is no exception! Five years in production, the album is a piano tribute to the magical spell that Greece casts on all of its visitors. The twenty-two tracks on the album include thirteen new original pieces, four covers, four short field recordings, and an old favorite. I have been a big fan of George's music since I first heard Second Nature back in 2003, and I have reviewed most of his nineteen albums to date. The music on Dreams of Greece is an enchanting combination of solo piano, piano with orchestration and a few orchestral tracks along with the short atmospheric tracks. Very soothing and relaxing, George's music is often used by the healing arts industry, including massage therapists and spas around the world. It is also used at the Atlanta (Georgia) Humane Society to help calm the animals waiting to be adopted (as well as the staff and volunteers, I'm sure!). As much as I've loved George's previous albums, Dreams of Greece just might be my favorite so far!

I can't list all twenty-two tracks, but there isn't a weak one among them! The album begins with "Land of Make Believe" by Chuck Mangione. A very dreamy arrangement for piano with strings, it sets the easy-going mood of the album. The title track is a magical piano solo that seems to wrap velvet fingers around the mind, reassuring that all is well - at least for now! "Goats of the Mountain" is a short field recording of goats walking past wearing bells. "Tyxero Asteri" is George's arrangement for piano and strings of a piece by K. Bhta from the Netflix series, Maestro in Blue - very smooth and relaxed. "Endless Summer," a gentle and soulful solo piano tribute to Greece, is simply gorgeous! Michel Legrand's "The Windmills of Your Mind" by has been one of the my favorite songs for a lot of years, and George's arrangement for piano and strings is dreamy and soothing! "The Color of Your Smile" is a deeply-felt solo piano love song, pure and simple - a favorite. I also really like the solo piano "Garden of Memories" and "Behind the Doors" - George at his best! George's new arrangement of "Misirlou" really brings out the mysterious, haunting quality of this piece that dates back at least a hundred years - for piano with strings and light percussion. The ocean sounds of "The Water's Edge" serves as a prelude to "Waves of Love," a heartfelt piano solo that says so much more than words - another favorite! "Every Shade of Blue" and "The Warmth of the Sun" are the last two piano solos on the album and both offer a wonderful, gentle mind massage as well as a beautiful listening experience. This is one excellent album sure to lift your spirits and take you to a blissful place of beauty for at least an hour. Very highly recommended!

Dreams of Greece is available as a digital download and to stream from George's website as well as Amazon and Apple Music/iTunes. It is available on the streaming platforms including Spotify. CDs will be available sometime in August 2024. Don't miss this one!