Fresh Aire VI

1	Come Home to the Sea 4:52
2	Twilight at Rhodes 3:53
3	Night Festival at Rhodes 3:48
4	Sunrise at Rhodes 2:24
5	The Olympics 5:30
6	Nepenthe 4:08
7	Descent into the Underworld 2:00
8	Dialog With the Devil 2:07
9	Ascent from Hell 4:09
10	Sirens 11:53

Barnes & Noble

Mannheim Steamroller chief Chip Davis taps the richness of classical Greek mythology for his sixth Fresh Aire album. Here, Davis both plays drums and conducts the London Symphony Orchestra. The Cambridge Singers (conducted by John Rutter), Steamroller stalwart Jackson Berkey at the keyboards, and a bevy of other vocalists complete the ensemble. The sea, of course, plays an important role in all things Grecian, and Davis begins the album with "Come Home to the Sea," complete with wave effects, a set-sail seafaring melody, and electronic chirps of playful dolphins. Featuring the electric piano of the same name, the three-part "Rhodes Suite" honors Helios, the sun god who rode his winged-horse chariot through the sky. The "Twilight" segment paints impressionistic echoes of day's end in clarion tones, while "Night Festival" proceeds to get a little tipsy with an exotic, electrified melody in the Dorian mode. Helios's snorting horse and rumbling chariot take off on "Sunrise," with full orchestra and choir marking the god's broad passage across the sky. "Nepenthe" is a somber piece for piano, oboe, and orchestra, recalling the Egyptian drug's power of dulling sorrows. The four-part "Siren" suite caps the album: "Crash and Call" is one of the most alluring tracks here, and the seduction continues on "The Singing Contest" between voices of the Muses (women of the Cambridge Singers) and the Sirens (the electronic Emulator voices). The broad symphonic scope of "Farewell" seems to catch the wind heading into the sunset. The extended liner notes on the corresponding myths make for an invigorating aid to the listener's imagination. Carol Wright

All Music Guide

Siren-like sounds and stately melodies dominate on an album whose theme is "impressions of Greek mythology." William Ruhlmann