Songs in the Key of Love

Songs in the Key of Love is a two-disc collection of classic love songs done in (mostly) solo piano settings by Peter Nero, John Arpin, Van Craven, and Gary Motley. These are lovely melodies, certainly, best-suited as a beautiful mood backdrop for a romantic dinner, or a reception, or some other official function. Things are so laid-back here that when Grover Washington, Jr.'s smooth saxophone line joins Peter Nero's piano on "When I Fall in Love," it feels almost jarring, as if Jimi Hendrix had entered the studio and plugged in for a blast of feedback.