Light in Your Eyes

One of Andy Narell's most exciting and unpredictable albums, Light in Your Eyes ranges from the exuberant to the quietly introspective. Narell, who embraces electric keyboards and acoustic piano in addition to his main instrument the steel pans, is undeniably inspired on everything from the driving post-bop number "A Stitch in Time" to the poetic, South American-influenced "The Strayaway Child" to the somewhat Joe Sample-ish title song. World music has long been one of the charismatic Narell's strong points, and on this fine CD, he looks to locations ranging from Africa to South America to Trinidad (where the steel pans originated) for inspiration. ~ Alex Henderson