Songs Without Words

Wanna know what heaven is going to sound like? Grab a hold of this album and you'll at least have a hint.

Dan Dean supplies layers of his voice as well as an occasional bass and whistle to this wonderfully arranged collection of "classic" classics. His wordless vocals create an ethereal mood that floats with sublime joy on Bach's "Air on a G String" while he makes you feel like you're in a dream on "The Sheep May Safely Graze." Dean creates a ton of fun with a vocalese-like scat on "Flight of the Bumblebee" and does some amazing tongue twisting during "Night on Bald Mountain." A three movement "Concerto for Lute and Orchestra" by Vivaldi includes a stately "Allegro" a mix of reverent voice and bass, taking you through a Baroque cathedral with sounds almost like an organ pipe on the closing "Allegro." An album delivered like this cannot be a gimmick, it must be considered a worldview.

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