Silver Ship is
Suzanne Ciani's first album of all-new material since 1999's
Turning LP. And like that album, it's a tasteful, often joyful blend of acoustic and electronic instruments, buoyed throughout by
Ciani's innate melodic sense. The composer and keyboardist also works with some familiar collaborators, including flutist
Matt Eakle,
Paul McCandless on reeds, cellist Joe Hébert, guitarist Teja Bell, and bassist
Michael Manring. As her earliest releases prove, it's always been
Ciani's intention to craft durable songs. That approach elevates her work above the homogeneity that permeates the contemporary instrumental and new age genres at their lowest ebb, and it's no different with
Silver Ship. "Sargasso Sea" is a duet between
Ciani's piano and the sad-eyed and graceful cello of Hébert, while "Eclipse" perfectly balances solitary contemplation with waves of surging emotion. Not surprisingly, "Open Seas" incorporates some artificially generated ocean swells beneath
Eakle's airy flute leads, while opener "For Lise" features one of
Ciani's classic melodies -- plaintive, powerfully hopeful, and softly whispered all at once.
Silver Ship also takes a few detours, adding percussion and prominent solos from Bell and
Eakle for the East African-flavored "Wine Dark Sea" and nodding into a slight new age-jazz cross for "Capri." Also, like
Turning, the title track again features vocals. "Silver Ship" is a heartfelt lullaby emboldened by an interestingly vintage-sounding synthesizer tone.
Ciani's been at the top of her craft since Velocity of Love in 1984. The crystalline
Silver Ship floats there, too. ~ Johnny Loftus