Solo Piano Solace is the companion songbook to Christine Brown’s 2020 solo piano album by the same name. All eleven pieces from the album are included. Most of the music is very flowing and expressive, making it soothing and relaxing to play as well as to listen to. The songbook is available in printed form or as a download from Christine’s website (sheet music downloads for individual pieces are also available). I am reviewing the PDF version and don’t know if the printed book is spiral-bound or not. The PDF versions of both the book and individual sheets are also available from SheetMusicPlus.com.

The layout of the music is roomy, well-spaced and easy to read. A few of the pieces have five or six sharps or flats in the key signature, but, as always, some practice (and perhaps a good pencil!) should make at least most of these pieces accessible to pianists at an upper intermediate or early-advanced playing level. Metronome settings are included for each piece, and there are a few specific pedal markings here and there. This is a fun and rewarding sheet music book to just sit and play through, letting the problems of the world go away for an hour or so. I’ve been a fan of Christine Brown’s original compositions as well as her medleys for a long time, so new sheet music is always a treat!

The titles, the keys they are in, and the number of pages are:

Exhale - Key of Bb minor (5 flats) - 5 pages
Solace - Key of D (2 sharps) - 4 pages
Heartstrings - Key of G minor (2 flats) - 5 pages
Midnight Blue - Key of G minor (2 flats)/ F minor (4 flats) - 5 pages
Vanish - Key of G minor (2 flats) - 4 pages
Soul Stream - Key of Eb (3 flats)/ F minor (4 flats) - 7 pages
Celtic Spirit - Key of A minor (0 sharps or flats) - 6 pages
Watercolors - Key of Gb (6 flats) / B (5 sharps) - 7 pages
Caress - Key of A (3 sharps) - 3 pages
Discovery - Key of C# minor (4 sharps) - 5 pages
Renewal - Key of Db (5 flats) - 4 pages