When One2One Network sent me the Joshua Bell “At Home with Friends” CD to review, I wasn’t sure what I would think. For the most part, I enjoy listening to a variety of styles of music without changing the CD. Although I had heard chatter and read bits and pieces about Joshua Bell, but I had also confused him with another young musician.

“At Home with Friends” cured me of any confusion and is fast becoming what I put into the car CD player when heading out to pick up my kids.
Bell’s concept is based on the century’s old idea of holding a salon, inviting friends into your home and playing music with them. If you are fortunate enough, you may find yourself with those kind of friends who come over and play music with you.
Bell has some high-wattage friends who can pack a wallop in the studio and the album is a who’s who, while the music is a what’s what. With 16 pieces, Bell and his violin play host to vocalists such as Sting singing “Come Again” to “My Funny Valentine” performed by Kristin Chenoweth to “Eleanor Rigby” with Frankie Moreno to Anoushka Shankar premiering a duet her father composed.
Because I wasn’t familiar with Bell’s work, I was hesitant to embrace the CD. His skill playing the violin and his creative passion for playing and paying homage to a wide selection of music have won me over.

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