Alison Balsom: Alison Balsom

Alison Balsom: Trumpet

British trumpet sensation Alison Balsom is poised to take the U.S. by storm, and this new self-titled album heralds her first mass-market foray and marks the beginning of what promises to be a very busy year for her. The 13 tracks on Alison Balsom, each chosen carefully from her six EMI Classics albums, combine to offer a compelling portrait of her artistic achievements up to this point, while also pointing in the direction of what's to come. Although the music is extraordinarily varied, all of the tracks share an emotional immediacy and listenability - whether it be the singing strains of a Bach Sarabande, the mysterious melodic swirling of Debussy's Syrinx, the smoldering dance rhythms of a Piazzolla tango, or the hymn-like profundity of American standards like "Shanendoah" or "Nobody Knows The Trouble I've Seen" (from her last album Seraph, a collection of modern works).

Price: $14.98