At Home With Friends

Joshua Bell got his first violin at the age of four after his parents found his plucking at rubber bands he stretched over the handles of his dresser. Bell gained national attention at 14 with his debut with Riccardo Muti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. Bell followed that up with a debut at Carnegie Hall, the Avery Fisher Career Grant, and a recording contract.

Since recording his first LP at 18, Bell has put out over 30 albums. He recently appeared on the soundtrack to Angels and Demons, and in 2004 was named Billboard's Classical Artist of the Year and Billboards's Classical CD of the Year for his Romance of the Violin.

Bell's latest album, At Home With Friends, was released Sept. 29 by Sony. Like the title suggests, Bell certainly does enlist the help from some friends; the album features collaborations from well-known musicians like Sting, Regina Spektor, Josh Groban, Tiempo Libre, Kristen Chenoweth, and Anoushka Shankar.

The album starts off with the track "I Loves You Porgy," from the musican Porgy and Bess,, featuring Chris Botti. It's a slower piece with intertwined trumpet and violin.

"Come Again" Sting sings in a distinctly classical way, and he somehow nails it. It's a little strange to hear Sting singing this way, but it's also refreshing to hear his breathy voice work in such a different way. The virtuosity of Bell is shown off better here than on the first track, and it's very apparent why he's become so acclaimed in classical music.

The following track, "Oblivion," features Dutch tango musician Carel Kraayenhof ? and if that sounds too weird to even try to picture, you'll just have to take a listen. It's a beautiful slow song with Bell's violin accompanying Kraayenhof's tango. He joins Bell once again later on the album on the track "Il Postino," this time with gentle piano supporting Bell's violin and an accordion trading back and forth.

Josh Groban joins Bell for "Cinema Paradiso." Groban's stong, expressive voice is a perfect match for the equal expressiveness of Bell's violin. Somehow, the two work together without one overpowering the other, a skill that Bell possesses throughout the album.