All The Best Returns is a full-album expansion of Robin Spielberg's 2022 five-track EP by the same name. This new version contains the five original piano solos plus eight more for a full "lucky" thirteen. Between these two albums, Robin released By Way of the Wind which featured eleven of her best-loved pieces arranged for the piano and symphonic orchestra. As much as I love the orchestrations, Robin has been one of my favorite pianist/composers since her 1993 debut, Heal of the Hand, and I'll always love her solo piano music best.

This quote from Robin explains the title and theme of the album: "For decades, I have signed my personal letters, 'All the best, Robin.' When we give one another birthday greetings, it is customary to wish one another 'many happy returns.' This album is my wish, in music, for the listener to enjoy many happy returns in their own lives."

All The Best Returns begins with "Now & Again," a warmly reflective and dreamy piece that sets the peaceful tone of the album - a beautiful start! "Already There" feels almost like an intimate conversation with someone dear - heartfelt, open and honest. I really like this one! "Ashokan Farewell" is a folk tune composed by Jay Ungar in 1982 that became the theme for Ken Burns' The Civil War documentary series. Poignant and bittersweet, Robin really puts her heart into it! The title track is a warm and inviting slow waltz that is both dreamy and soothing. It seems like the piano is especially well-suited for pieces about rain, and "After the Rain" clearly demonstrates that. Peaceful and refreshed, it's another favorite. "One Step Closer" is slower and feels more deliberate, expressing patience and quiet determination while moving toward a goal. "Round & Round" could refer to a number of things, and the piece with that title is in constant motion and tinged with a bit of mystery - also favorite! "In Search of the Forest Fairy" begins with a powerful fanfare befitting fairytale royalty. A variety of themes are then woven together that express a quiet feeling of loss, a sparkling dancelike theme, a variation on the opening theme, the lively fluttering of wings, and ending with a variation on the poignant second theme. Robin is an avid gardener and I suspect that "The End of Summer" is a sad good-bye to the active growing season, knowing that many of the lovely plants and flowers in her yard will either go dormant or die as the weather starts to chill. It's a gorgeous and very expressive piece and another favorite. "Echoes of the Land" is very dark and haunting with a steady rhythm on the left hand and a deeply-emotional melody - I really like this one, too! Robin created a solo piano arrangement of "Shche ne Vmerla Ukrainy (the Ukrainian National Anthem)" and released it as a single in early 2022. With family ancestry originally from eastern Europe, Robin arranged the anthem as a prayer that starts very quietly, gradually building in spirit and determination to a powerful and triumphant close to both the piece and the album.

All The Best Returns is available on CD and digitally from Robin's website; digitally from Amazon and Apple/iTunes, as well as streaming sites like Spotify, Pandora and Bandcamp. A solo piano songbook is also available from Robin's website. Very highly recommended!