"Derek Bermel can make instruments sing. He can make them talk. Laugh. Scream. Sigh. Bermel has an exquisite ability to capture the spirit of the human voice in his music. Performed by the Borromeo String Quartet, violist Paul Neubauer and cellist Fred Sherry and elegantly recorded by producer Judy Sherman, these works present, for the first time, an overview of Bermel's small-ensemble writing. Soul Garden is an album of consistently engaging chamber works - clean, smart and unique music. Bermel's is a garden in which to linger. "
- Mic Holwin