Review: Joshua Bell - At Home With Friends

I recently received the Joshua Bell CD from One 2 One network (for free).  I had not actually heard of Joshua Bell before I got this CD and listened to it.  Joshua Bell is a Grammy Award-winning violinist and has over 30 original albums!  Where have I been??

This isn't just your typical album with Joshua playing all instrumental violin pieces.  He wanted to do something different and perform instrumental and vocal duets with some wonderful friends and musicians.  The result is lovely.  His beautiful violin playing combined with singers like Sting, Josh Groban and musicians such as Chris Botti makes the CD really enjoyable!

I was listening to the CD again, trying to decide what my favorite song was, but I still can't decide.  I love the first few songs  - they give that sort of haunting sound that transports you to a far-off land.  It's so relaxing to listen.  I had to just sit myself down, close my eyes, and enjoy.  But I also enjoy the upbeat songs and the variety of song types.  I truly like this album and will not forget Joshua Bell anytime soon.  This CD seems like the perfect sound for Fall and Winter, so I plan on playing it quite a bit over the next few months!  In fact, this seems like a good Stop and Smell the Chocolates kind of CD, so maybe I need to sit down with a cup of tea (or glass of wine!) and some chocolate when listening to this one!

Here's a list of the tracks on the album:

Album Tracklisting (Originally performed by):

I Loves You Porgy   featuring Chris Botti, trumpet
Come Again   featuring Sting, vocals 
Oblivion   featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon 
Cinema Paradiso   featuring Josh Groban, vocals
Para Tí   featuring Tiempo Libre, various
My Funny Valentine   featuring Kristin Chenoweth, vocals
Maybe So   featuring Edgar Meyer, Sam Bush and Mike Marshall, strings
Grieg: Sonata No. 3   featuring Sergei Rachmaninoff (Zenph re-performance)
Eleanor Rigby   featuring Frankie Moreno, piano & vocals
O, Cease Thy Maiden Fair   featuring Nathan Gunn, baritone
Il Postino   featuring Carel Kraayenhof, bandoneon
Left Hand Song   featuring Regina Spektor, piano & vocals
Chovendo Na Roseira   featuring Dave Grusin, piano
Look Away   featuring Edgar Meyer, bass and Chris Thile, mandolin
Variant Moods: Duet for Sitar & Violin   featuring Anoushka Shankar, sitar
I'll Take Manhattan   featuring Marvin Hamlisch, piano

You can get more info at Joshua's website and even see and hear some of the performances.  You can buy the CD here.

Disclosure:  One 2 One Network sent me this CD for free in exchange for doing an honest review on my blog.  I received no other compensation.