Yanni's music is difficult to put into a single category in the music world.

His original compositions without vocals and unusual work with synthesizers create beautiful, unique works. These qualities would probably have his music fall into the wide bounds of the New Age set.

In his new album, Dare to Dream, Yanni has his usual pieces -- the upbeat, pretty and synthesized pieces that reflect his life experiences. But he adds a few new elements to his compositions, such as a strong electronic and acoustic drum beat, acoustic violin and even vocals.

These new elements are scattered very lightly, though. The violin can be heard well in "Nice to Meet You" along with a quick rhythm. The voice of a real stringed instrument makes all the difference in the sound quality, especially with its prominent role in the piece. The lively song has sections where it has country music overtones, with the violin fiddling away. The synthesizers take a backseat here. This is unusual for Yanni.

The violin then slips into a dark corner for a serious and pensive song, "So Long My Friend." The slow arpeggiation in the keyboard's lower tones and the smooth piano are deeply moving, another Yanni trademark. He loses the suave tone of that piece in his tribute to carpe diem, "You Only Live Once." The synthesized notes joined by acoustic percussion make this song too harsh to enjoy.

"To the One Who Knows" makes me wonder if Yanni is in love. This is his most lyric piece on this album, which picks up a few themes from his album Keys to Imagination. Another elegant piece was "A Night to Remember." It evokes the image of a colorful fiesta with its bouncy theme and synthesized steel drums, without being too decadent.

Yanni picks up a classic tradition to carry into his music -- that of borrowing ideas from others' music. His "Aria" is based loosely on a theme from a 19th century opera, and is the only piece to include vocals, provided by Mona Lisa. Her high, thin voice has a surreal quality to it. While listening to her voice accompanied by a fast beat, it's obvious that the theme is all Yanni took from the opera.

His native Greek background is heard in "Felitsa" and "Desire," two stirring songs with exotic-sounding harmonies.

Finally, he ends with a simple, beautiful piano solo, "In the Mirror." This piece pours emotion, with the synthesizers creating a rich sound to highlight its expression.

If you already enjoy Yanni or New Age works, this album won't disappoint you. It has all the normal trademarks of Yanni plus a few new twists. The album has a few lows but also soaring highs.