For the last decade Kevin Kern has shown that he has a flair for new age music and he is both a talented performer as well as a creative composer. As Kevin speaks of his bond with his piano you would think that he was talking about a person with whom he had spent a lifetime walking and talking with. As you listen to him playing his compositions from the Enchanted Piano album on his beloved Steinway B, you will find yourself entering into that same friendship along with Kevin. If you open your heart and your mind you may walk away from this album with a better understanding of yourself and of the bond that Kevin feels with this his favorite musical instrument.
Enchanted Piano is not a new album per se but it is Kevin's first solo piano album where it is just Kevin and his Steinway B and nothing else. The songs that he chose to play are a tribute to his fans because they represent the songs that have touched the hearts and souls of his listeners over the years. Kevin like any successful musician receives mail or e-mail from his fans letting him know what they thought about his music and how it touched their lives. Oftentimes music has a way of helping people through the rough periods of their lives by allowing them to still their minds and quiet the tumult that is assaulting them from without. It allows people to turn within and find the strength that lies at the heart of their being so that they can face the next day no matter what circumstances are awaiting them. Kevin has taken these recommendations of the songs that have helped people the most and has created Enchanted Piano as a way to put all of his most powerful music in one place.
The album consists of eleven songs and runs about 43 minutes in length. While the overall feeling of the album is very contemplative in nature it does have a little variation in the themes that the music covers. While some compositions evoke a feeling of serenity or tranquility there are other songs that feel more celebratory or bring to mind a happy or joyful event in one's life. It is apparent throughout all of the songs that Kevin has had an enjoyable time crafting this music as an expression of those feelings and emotions that we all have and at times have a hard time expressing. His music invites you to let go of those things that are holding you back and to soar to the heights that your heart and soul can imagine.
Kevin's music has a way of relaxing and inspiring the listener at the same time. His skillful playing which started when he was a little over a year old has matured over the years to the point where now he has achieved a mastery of the instrument that allows Kevin to communicate his emotions through his fingers on the keys of the piano. This is a solo piano album which has stripped away all else so that we are left to immerse ourselves in Kevin's passionate love for this instrument. You might think that an album that was simply a man and his piano might lack the depth that an album with full instrumentation might offer and in that you'd be wrong. There is nothing that I would change about the simplicity and the heartfelt emotions that this album communicates.
This disc stands out as a winner and an absolute classic in the choice of the compositions to include and the performances given by Kevin Kern. While the album can be put on in the background while you are doing other things I think that you owe it to yourself to sit down in a comfy chair and listen to this album in its entirety to fully appreciate the music that has been included. Kevin's musical sensibilities are impeccable and this album should win him new fans right along with giving his existing fans a cause for celebration. My favorite tracks on this album were hard to choose as all of them are beautiful in their own right but I found “Through the Arbor,” “Sundial Dreams,” and “Hide and Seek” to be the songs that I would return to again and again. This album is definitely recommended by Ambient Visions.
Enchanted Piano by Kevin Kern 
