Dragonfly is the long-awaited follow-up to Timothy Crane’s 2004 debut, The Other Life I Dream. Like the first album, Dragonfly is a collection of piano-based instrumentals that are backed with orchestration. All but one of the eleven tracks were composed by Crane. There are classical influences in some of the pieces and some have a graceful cinematic sweep; all are beautifully realized and each is crafted to stand on its own rather than being part of an overall theme. Most of the music is very peaceful, but there are some effective mood shifts that make the album a great one to listen to with full attention rather than placing it in the background.

Dragonfly begins with the joyful “Two X Two,” a piece that creates an uplifting mood with piano and orchestra (mostly strings). “Play” has a more electronic backing to the piano and, along with guitar and strings, evokes swirling sensations of carefree freedom - nice! “Star Cross Moon” opens with a mysterious theme that gradually evolves into a graceful flow that couldn’t be more soothing - a favorite! The delightful laughter of a baby leads into “A Child’s Goodnight” as a music box is being wound up and plays a gentle and very tender lullaby. “Salish Sunset” paints a gorgeous picture of a breath-taking sunset and conveys the inner peace witnessing such a sunset brings. “Theme for Rachel Scott” is another beauty. Slow and graceful with just a touch of melancholy, it really sings to the heart. “Vasilissa the Beautiful” begins with a lovely, flowing theme that alternates between major and minor keys for the first half of the piece. Then a big, energetic theme enters with full force and enthusiasm. The title comes from a Russian fairy tale that begins with sadness and strife for a young girl and ends with a magical skull burning the sources of cruelty to ashes. This is definitely a stand-out piece! The title track closes the set elegantly and peacefully.

Dragonfly was worth the wait! It can be purchased from CD Baby, Amazon, and iTunes. Recommended!