The Journey is a collection of eleven of the twelve pieces on Michele McLaughlin’s 2002 album by the same name. (The piece that wasn’t included is “A New Day,” which was orchestrated rather than solo piano.) The majority of these pieces are relatively easy, fairly slow, and most are in easier key signatures. There are quite a few passages where octaves are played on either hand, but there are no chords with a reach of more than an octave. The notation is clear and roomy, with transcriptions by John Zechiel and David Shenton. A couple of my own favorites are “The Struggle Within,” “Saying Goodbye,” and “Letting Go.” The songs in The Journey are fun to play and will bring pianists of average and above playing skills a lot of pleasure. It is available from michelemclaughlin.com.

Below is a list of the songs in the book, listed in the order they appear on the CD. I have included the key signatures and how many sharps and flats are in those keys, the level of difficulty on a scale of 1-5 compared to Michele’s other pieces (with 1 being the easiest and 5 the most advanced), and the number of pages.

The Greatest Gift - Key of D minor (1 flat), F minor (4 flats), Db (5 flats) - level 4 - 5 pages
A Clearer Vision - Key of G (1 sharp) - level 3 - 4 pages
The Struggle Within - Key of D minor (1 flat) - level 4 - 5 pages
Saying Goodbye - Key of G minor (2 flats) - level 3 - 3 pages
Letting Go - Key of C minor (3 flats) - level 3 - 4 pages
Going Home - Key of Bb (2 flats) - level 3 - 4 pages
Learning To Grieve - Key of A minor - level 1 - 1 page
Moving On - Key of C - level 3 - 3 pages
A Fresh Start - Key of D minor - level 4 - 4 pages
The Awakening - Key of C - level 4 - 4 pages
Inner Peace - Key of C - level 4 - 4 pages