Suzanne Ciani - Hotel Luna (1991)

Following on the fluttering heels of Velocity of Love, Suzanne Ciani is joined by violinist Steve Kindler, percussionist Kurt Wortman, flautist Peter Gordon, and guitarist John Wheelock for Hotel Luna. The additional musicians flesh out Ciani's rich palette of synthesizers and piano, so that tracks like "Maremosso," with its lush, worldly feel, rings even truer with the addition of flute and violin solos. The sounds of a storm wash predictably through "Rain," but its pattering keyboards are nevertheless well done. It's more textured genius from Ciani, a progressive electronic music pioneer who seems to understand intrinsically where technology ends and the human heart takes over. With this knowledge, she can imbue "Love Song" with appropriate amounts of grace, but juxtapose it with "Simple Song," where jaunty synth flourishes set up a big, brassy (synthetic) fanfare that's irresistible over the track's percolating electronic groove. Later, Ciani's pop sensibilities come to fore with the gorgeous, sweeping melody of "L'Azzuro," which is as romantic an instrumental as any song with words would be. Kindler's violin weaves into Gordon's flute, and both musicians follow the lead of Ciani's breathy synth washes. It's some of Ciani's most accomplished work yet, building brilliantly on its central themes of romance and remembrance.© Johnny Loftus /TiVo