SENSUOUS CHILL - CD

As Yanni's first album of original material in five years -- he revisited the past on 2014's Inspirato and recast Mexican?simo as My Passion for Mexico in 2012 -- Sensuous Chill doesn't feel rushed, nor does it feel lazy. At nearly 70 minutes, it does feel a little bit long but Yanni doesn't keep the 17 tracks treading water. Occasionally, he trades in placid surfaces, letting a slight Middle Eastern flair drift into view, but he often ratchets up the R&B beats while threading in spectral soul vocals straight out of Pink Floyd, letting things glide into a full song and then slide away back to a realm that can only be identified by the title's claim. If the production and aesthetic of the record feel slightly out of date -- it feels like it could've been cut in the '90s -- there's also a charm to its traditionalism: Yanni knows what he does well and he does it proudly here. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine