The territory mined here by cellist
Sheku Kanneh-Mason will be familiar to admirers of his pre-pandemic debut album,
Inspiration, and listener reactions to this 2022 release will probably be determined largely by that similarity and by the listener's attitude toward the high-flying
Kanneh-Mason family in general.
Sheku continues to generate a remarkably warm tone, brought out right at the beginning with the traditional Irish tune Star of County Down. He involves sister
Isata Kanneh-Mason, and the pair achieve the much-sought-after sibling chemistry in a pair of
Mendelssohn's Songs Without Words. There are guest stars from both the classical and pop worlds, including a fresh pop song by
Sheku and
Zak Abel, and there is a very strong set of five brief, instrumentally idiomatic preludes for solo cello by composer Edmund Finnis, said to have worked closely with
Kanneh-Mason on their composition. The program is claimed to be personal; it is not clear exactly what that means, but the music certainly is eclectic and designed to draw in listeners from various backgrounds.
Kanneh-Mason has nothing to prove in traditional repertory; he earned his Young Musician of the Year award playing
Shostakovich, but one might wonder where he is going when the spotlights begin to dim. The final delicate, knowing version of
Bacharach and
David's I Say a Little Prayer is wonderful. ~ James Manheim