As the title reveals, My Secret Heart - 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition is a celebration of Michael Whalen's classic recording which was originally released on the Narada label in 2005. This new, expanded album is being released by Universal Music Enterprises and features eight new tracks (including a new version of the title track) as well as the original ten, remastered to the latest production standards. The original album has been streamed hundreds of millions of times and has been a soundtrack of sorts to events, big and small, in the lives of countless people. Although many of the tracks have ethereal melodies, this would be considered to be a mostly ambient album. The music shimmers and glows to perfection with Whalen performing on piano as well as ambient instrumentation and effects. He also composed, arranged, produced and mixed all of the music. Trevor Sadler mastered this album as well as the original one back in 2005.

An incredibly versatile and prolific composer and musician, Michael Whalen has won a number of very impressive awards, including two Emmys, for his music for countless films, commercials, and television programs. He has released 46 of his own albums in a wide variety of music genres and has collaborated on projects with a very impressive list of other artists. I have been reviewing many of Michael's albums over the past ten years and he is definitely one of my favorite artists!

My Secret Heart - 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition begins with the ten remastered tracks from the original album, starting with "I Have Loved You For a Thousand Lifetimes." Quiet, dreamy and meditative, this is music that invites you to get lost in it as it eases away any stress or tension you might be experiencing. Some of the pieces from the first album are more melodic than others, and the album unfolds seamlessly as it creates a warm and peaceful atmosphere infused with a bit of musical magic. Since so much has already been written about the original album, I'll focus on the new pieces. The new version of "I Have Loved You For a Thousand Lifetimes" is about a minute shorter than the original and features more of the tender, heartwarming melody as well as choral voices (no lyrics) and a more fleshed-out piano - a gorgeous update to an ambient classic! "Light. Stars. Love" is warm and dreamy - almost hypnotic - with a repeated pattern on the piano that alternates with the gentle melody. "Shattered" is very dark and mysterious with a wind-like sound that adds a chill to parts of the piece - a favorite! "The Northern Lights" evokes images of a magical and otherworldly array of colors and shapes that fill the sky at certain times of the year. Graceful and heartfelt, I really like this one, too! "The Dance of Two Souls" has a rapturous kind of grace set to music that makes it easy to imagine two lovers on a dance-floor - or perhaps outside under a full moon - completely unaware of anyone or anything around - except each other. "Soft As Rain" picks up the tempo considerably with lively images of raindrops dancing freely on a lake - or even a puddle - refreshing everything around them - another favorite! "When We Loved" returns to a quieter, more pensive mood, perhaps reminiscing about happier times. The album comes to a close with the tender and dreamy "Whispers," one of the more ambient tracks of the newer pieces and a perfect ending to another great album from Michael Whalen!

My Secret Heart - 20th Anniversary Expanded Edition will be released on January 31, 2025 and will be widely-available to stream and download. A limited-edition of 300 signed double-CDs are available on Bandcamp and will start shipping on March 1, 2025. More links will be added as they become available. Don't miss it!