DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT let the 3.5 Stars fool you! This album is, in a word, BEAUTIFUL. You should immediately head to Pete's Bandcamp page and buy this album. (You'll additionally get his "Live From The Quiet Room" album, an additional 38 minutes of previously recorded songs performed live at the piano.)

The 3.5 Stars is simply because it's not Pete's progiest album (and this IS ProgCharts after-all =). From the Tiger Moth Tales page: "The Whispering of the World, the sixth studio album from Tiger Moth Tales, is a change of direction for Pete Jones. Instead of complex song structures and the prog instrumentation and soundscapes, the new album is more song based and features Jones on grand piano and vocals, accompanied by the minimalistic beauty of a string quartet. The stripped back nature of the recording allows the songs to speak for themselves, with the strings both providing a warm backdrop and accentuating the lyrical themes."

Pete's piano playing is, as always, wonderful and the string arrangements are beautiful as they accompany eight very good, new songs. Lost To The Years is particularly special and should find itself in the historical songbooks. (I actually emailed Michael Feinstein suggesting he consider recording this beautiful song on one of his future albums.)

I look forward to having Pete back to making "complex song structures and the prog instrumentation," but until then, this is a lovely addition to TMT. Go get it...now!