Featuring the hit single "Full Circle,"
Touch the Sky is the latest step in
Max Highstein's melodic journey. Throughout the album, he augments his stately piano lines with wind instruments, cello, bass, and percussion. Keeping the focus firmly on these instruments -- and diminishing the role of the synthesizer -- keeps
Highstein's pleasing, often joyous, passages rooted in the accessibility of pop and contemporary instrumental music, instead of the new age tendency toward elaborate, often top-heavy mood pieces. This isn't to say
Highstein's work can't provide listeners with the tranquil moments as the best new age does. While songs like "Wedding Song" or "Burst of Love" suggest '60s pop, the percussion never dominates, and winds and reed man
Jon Clarke's always deft touch keeps things decidedly light throughout.
Touch the Sky isn't music for meditation, but it's more relaxing than a three-hour neck rub.