Unlike anything else in his discography, Niki Nana could be fairly described as Yanni's idea of a party album. Buoyant, tropical, and well-intentioned, Yanni apparently yearns for this music to inspire humankind to latch on to its hips and form an intercontinental conga line that snakes its way around the globe. "Niki Nana," the liner notes inform us, means "We're one," and who could fault such a notion or question Yanni's sincerity? It's just that the music is so... different. Not necessarily bad, but certainly different. Bright, bouncy, and liberally adorned with horn and vocal accents, each piece except "First Touch" and "Quiet Man" is a clear departure from the regal romanticism customarily associated with the keyboardist. --Terry Wood
