In Harmony Grove, solo pianist Greg Maroney creates a tender tapestry of reminiscence and homage. This collection of original compositions beautifully evokes the gentle feelings of common life and reverence the everyday miracles of nature.

Maroney has two distinct styles and both are traditional in vein. Some of his pieces show strong Romantic influences, such as the moody "Elemental" and the dramatic story-piece "The First Ballerina," while the stormy "Long Walk Home" is Beethoven-esque. The rest of his pieces have a more modern, movie-soundtrack sound. These tend to deal with nature and have a nostalgic, peaceful tone, like "September" and "Harmony Grove," or paint dramatic pictures of natural phenomena, such as "Nature's Fury" and "Chicken Chace." "The Gift," a reflective piece written in homage to Maroney's recently deceased mother, is reminiscent of George Winston's famous style.

Maroney's compositions are, for the most part, solid. He only runs into trouble when he tries to blend his two styles; the transistions between Romantic scales and dramatic dynamics jar with the more modern chords and tonal motifs. But his keyboarding is, throughout the album, talented and accomplished.

Harmony Grove gives every indication of an emotive musician who knows how to value the biggest of little things in life.

- Rambles
written by Tracie Vida
published 24 July 2004

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