As a portrait of the composer as a young neo-Classicist, this 2005 Naxos album of Sean Hickey's chamber music demonstrates his stylistic and technical acumen, but little of his own personality, direction, or potential for growth. Perhaps it is due to the cool, Stravinskyan mood of many of the pieces, their casual or gnomic titles, or the predominance of too many miniatures on a rather long program, but Hickey's music often seems lightweight and too banal to merit serious attention. Perhaps the most coherent piece is the chaste Flute Sonata (1993), which sounds very much like a conservative student work in its added-note harmonies and mild, innocuous melodies. Left at the Fork in the Road (2002), Fool's Errand (2003), Pair of Pants (2003), and Granfaloon (2004) seem like throwaway recital-stuffers, perhaps most useful as exercises for woodwind students; the appropriately named Fluff (2004) is the slightest of all these diminutive pieces, and utterly forgettable. Hickey is, however, somewhat more involved in his vocal work, Sagesse for soprano, tenor, and chamber orchestra; with the fine singing of Jennifer Greene and Doug McCormick, and the acceptable accompaniment of the New Prospect Chamber Players, directed by Sungji Hong, this is perhaps the disc's most interesting performance, though coming at the end of the program, it seems too little, too late. Naxos' close-up reproduction is strangely dry and unappealing.