I was not familiar with Mehdi’s music until this album arrived for review. I’d seen his name, but hadn’t heard the music. Overall, it has been a very pleasant surprise. The music is soothing and relaxing, but is several notches above being ear-candy. Much of the instrumentation is acoustic rather than all keyboards, giving the sound a much lusher quality - especially with the strings. Some of the percussion is “canned” and can be mildly annoying, but the real strings, guitar, flute, and piano more than make up for it. I keep running across comparisons of Mehdi’s music and Yanni’s, and I don’t think they are that similar, other than that they are both pianists/keyboardists and draw on various cultural influences in their music. And both use one name! Fans of Yanni’s quieter music will probably love Mehdi, and I think his music would also strongly appeal to fans of 2002 although it isn’t quite as ethereal or “spacey.” My favorite track is “Flight of the Butterfly,” a beautiful ballad with a strong backbeat. Flute carries most of the melody, depicting the graceful flight of a butterfly. Strings, guitar, solo violin, and piano enrich the sound and make this quite a compelling piece. This is a great CD to wake up to, unwind with, or to have in the background with dinner or other quiet activities. It is available from amazon.com andsoothingmusic.com. Sound samples are also available from SoothingMusic.com.