Destiny

Anyone soul-stirred by the Cleveland native's 1997 breakthrough Picture This will find the simple, mood-enhancing pleasures of Destiny -- a rich, accomplished work with not one throwaway cut -- a similarly perfect soundtrack to the big romantic interlude in the midst of life's day to day chaos. While Brickman delves a bit more into up-tempo smooth jazz playing over Herb Alpert's brisk, rising harmony lines on the strutting "Rendezvous," for the most part he sticks to his stock in trade: seductive, three-minute long pop songs that range in mood from happy-go-lucky ("Part of My Heart," "Meant to Be," "By Chance") to lilting and melancholy ("Crooked River"). Brickman says he aims to lift the listener into a journey of self-realization and provides the starting points with simple word or phrase titles like "Remembrance" or "Crossroads." He's rarely inclined to use outside harmonic enhancement on these pieces, but Richard Dodd's weeping cello accents on "Bittersweet" add a deeper sensitivity. ...by Jonathan Widran