(February 25, 2022) - I don't get many albums on disc any more, but three-time Emmy winning and one-time Grammy nominated guitarist Chieli Minucci sent me one, "Someone's Singing," his newest solo project. I couldn't wait to open it up, check out the cover and credits, and of course review it. The entire project offers a sweet paradise of mystical tunes, which ranged in flavor from Country, to Folk, to Jazz, to Latin just to bring you to where he was as a young boycott. Maybe he was sitting around the fired with the other scouts singing "Kumbaya" while feeling the connection between them all, which made the moment stick in his mind. Now he is sharing that moment of togetherness with us.

"Someone's Singing" offers 12 selections produced, written (10 of the 12) and arranged by Chieli. They are all led by his strings played expertly on his acoustic guitar. Two of the tracks are tunes you will recognize that Chieli turns into something masterful - "Someone's singing (Kumbaya)" and "Dreaming ‘Little Drummer Boy'." Minucci also plays percussions and a kalimba (African thumb piano) on the project.

Bass players Jerry Brooks and Fernando Saunders assist on the "Someone's Singing" album on bass, Steve Skinner on guitar and George Jinda on percussion. Also a 10-time Emmy nominee, Chieli Minucci is the founder of the Special EFX Jazz band currently celebration 40 years with a new album "Twenty Twenty 2" to be released April 15, 2022. Right now he is promoting his solo "Someone's Singing" album and will kick-off a tour in mid-March to offer performances of songs from this album and the new Special EFX project.

Chieli garnered so many Emmy Awards and nominations because he is a well sought after composer and has written music for such projects as "The Guiding Light," "Dancing with the Stars," "American Idol," and "Good Morning America." He has also written scores for films such as Bowfinger, Legally Blonde and Panic. He wrote the Bloomberg Radio theme and music for the live production of Peter Pan, Dora the Explorer and Thomas the Tank Engine. As a musician he has worked with Celine Dion, Lionel Richie, Jennifer Lopez, Mark Anthony, Michael Bolton, Jeff Lorber, Kirk Whalum, Norman Brown, Rick Braun, Marion Meadows and Mindi Abair.

My favorite cuts on the "Someone's Singing" album includes the title track "Someone's Singing" because it starts off Country or Folk and smoothly blends into soft Jazz which has a mystical sound; #3 "Church" because of its sweet Jazzy feel that has a flair of Latin vibe; #4 "Dreaming Little Drummer Boy" because of the Little Drummer Boy hook took me to the Christmas season which I love, then it turns into a Contemporary Jazz dream; #7 "Free Again" because it sounds like a beautiful piece that would be on a soundtrack and the way it blends into an up-tempo track provoking visions of paradise; #8 "Liminality" because it's a great selection to go sailing or cruising on the highway - you can almost hear the strings singing words, and #10 "Cup of Love" because it's a lovely piece that made me want to modern-dance and twirl around forever. www.ChieliMusic.com