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Album Review: If I Could Tell You
Yanni
Cover image of the album If I Could Tell You by Yanni
If I Could Tell You
Yanni
2000 / Virgin Records
68 minutes
Review by Kathy Parsons
Yanni describes If I Could Tell You this way: “I believe it will remind you of where I have been, but I think you will also see it reveals where I’m going.” This is an accurate assessment of an album that feels very familiar even though all of the music is supposed to be new. It’s a good album, and quite enjoyable to listen to, but I am disappointed that there is nothing really new and exciting. Many of the musical phrases are lifted from previous works (as composers often do, intentionally or not), which should not be a problem for Yanni’s newer fans. I’ve been following his career since about ‘86, and was a huge fan until In My Time (which had all the life sucked out of it, save for a few songs). I prefer the Yanni with an edge, so most of this album is a bit too smooth for my taste. My favorite track is “Wishing Well”, which is basically “Niki Nana” revisited - fun, ethnic, and a great beat. I can only imagine what Yanni will do with this song in concert - especially if Karen Briggs tours with him again! The title track is beautiful, but again pulls phrases from his first two albums to the point that I lose track of what I’m listening to and start playing “Name That Tune” in my head. If you didn’t play Keys to Imagination and Out of Silence until they wore out (like I did!), you may find this to be a fresh listening experience. For a longtime Yanni fan, I think it’s kind of a let-down.
June 20, 2000
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