Piano in the Calm is a very peaceful collection of ten original piano solos by James Michael Stevens. All ten pieces were recorded on a felted piano, which is a technique of placing felt or another soft cloth between the hammers and strings of a piano to soften the percussive effect of the hammers hitting the strings when the keys are played. Sometimes the effects are very subtle and sometimes the microphones are placed so that the sounds of the piano action (the inner workings of the instrument) become part of the music. In the case of this album, the effect is on the subtler side, and I don't hear any of the mechanical sounds at all. The softer sound adds to the dreamy, relaxing quality of the music and contributes to its soothing effects.

One of the most prolific composers on the planet, Dr. James Michael Stevens is also the Dean of the School of Music at Welch College in Gallatin, Tennessee, where he also teaches. He currently has 7595 songbooks and pieces of music for a variety of instruments as well as bands and choirs for sale on SheetMusicPlus.com - more than any other composer. That's seven more than when I reviewed his newest album less than a week ago, so his musical output is astounding! Sheet music downloads and the digital songbooks for Piano in the Calm are available from SheetMusicPlus.com and SheetMusicDirect.com.

Piano in the Calm begins with "Beside the Water Lilies," a piece that sets the tranquil mood of the album and perfectly matches the softness of the cover artwork. "Cherry Blossom Lake" slows down even more and moves likes the gentle ripples on a calm body of water - there's no stress or urgency here! Quietly bittersweet and a little nostalgic, "Memory of a Rose" is lovely! "Moments in the Quiet" expresses the grace and ease of spending time away from the noise and distractions of the city while "Ponderings in the Grey" makes me think of the mysterious stillness of walking in "pea-soup" fog on the beach where all of the outlines of anything and anyone you encounter dissolve into gray softness. "Reflections in Time" is a favorite with its poignant look back at events and feelings of the past. "Softly Falls the Night" feels like a warm summer evening when everything is still and peaceful while the "man in the moon" smiles down from the darkening sky. "Summerdale Waltz" could be the soundtrack for a romantic dance in the moonlight - slow, relaxed and very contented. "When the Morning Calls" feels like waking up in the morning, but not having to get up right away - warm and snuggly. The album comes to a quiet close with the very open and sincere "Wish and a Prayer" - grace and a sense of calm set to music.

Take a deep breath and let Piano in the Calm ease away some of the stress of life. It is available digitally from Amazon and Apple Music/iTunes as well as many of the streaming platforms including Spotify.