If it is possible that an environment can shape the beauty of a song, then the 13 beautiful tracks on
Cape of Good Hope are a true testament to this assumption. Acoustic pianist Jim Wilson is accompanied by an array of musical stars, including such all-time favorites as
Dan Fogelberg, guitarist
Steve Lukather,
David Sanborn,
Rick Braun,
Richard Elliot, and
Peter White. The melodic brilliance of the arrangements is very calming and very soothing; these are the types of songs that cause your imagination to whisk you away to romantic, dreamy, or mystical locations. Beauty resides on this CD and becomes an elegant extension of Wilson's innermost musical desires. The romantic ambience of "Picasso's Midnight Stroll" goes straight for the heart with Wilson's memorable, hypnotic hooks, its ethereal vocalese, the mystical orchestral grandeur, and the beauty of
Chris Botti's trumpet punctuation. Wilson delicately weaves the peaceful essence of
Eric Rigler's uilleann pipes and Irish flute through the soul of "More and More," and adds his gossamer background vocals to those of
Casey Stratton,
Dan Fogelberg on the title track, and "Discovery." This a very inspired collection of songs and raises the bar on his previous effort,
Northern Seascape, due to the talents and musicality of the all-star ensemble assembled for this session. ~ Paula Edelstein