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The focused nature of a new Divine Art recording featuring the music of John Carmichael is clearly on the composer: the Faliks disc omits composers’ names, while this one’s outer packaging makes no reference to any performers. Carmichael (born 1930) has amassed a notable although not particularly large catalogue of works, most often focused on the piano – he himself is a concert pianist. He is also a music therapist – one of the first – and it can be interesting to listen to his own works with that in mind. However, the six variegated pieces on this CD are not especially therapeutic or, for that matter, especially closely related to each other – the disc is really an exploration of multiple aspects of Carmichael’s musical interests. Piano Concerto No. 2 features three well-balanced movements for piano and strings; echoes of Rachmaninoff are notable, but the overall impression is more intimate and altogether gentler, especially in the nicely flowing central Andante. The Piano Trio “Toward the Light” is also a three-movement work with a fine sense of balance among its elements, and here the neo-Romanticism is if anything a bit more pronounced, the passionate elements somewhat more heart-on-sleeve than in the concerto. Interestingly, the second and third movements of both works have the same tempo indications: Andante and Moderato ma molto ritmico. The trio’s third-movement pizzicato elements are especially engaging.Aria for viola and piano is a warmly expressive single movement, while Contrasts is a three-movement work that, true to its title, offers listeners significantly contrasting experiences that conclude with a bouncy Flamenco. The eight-movement divertimento Short Cuts is neatly titled – its components range in length from one minute to three – and is pleasant and lightweight. It neatly showcases Carmichael’s ability to write idiomatically for individual and paired woodwinds as well as piano and then, in the final movement, brings everyone together for an exuberant finale. The CD concludes with the mildly Impressionistic On the Green, its three movements first swaying gently, then emoting expressively, and finally tripping along jauntily and ebulliently. This Carmichael disc shows him, in a sense, as a miniaturist: there are 22 tracks on the CD, and most are short, as the composer makes his points with clarity and directness and then moves on to something else. The disc’s Carmichael-only focus makes it immediately appealing only to audiences that already know and enjoy this composer’s music, but the music itself, expertly crafted, tonal and accessible, has the potential to engage listeners who do not know the composer yet but are willing to open themselves up to a welcome set of new musical experiences.