Listening to the first few tracks off of Shapes, I was beginning to think that I was in for twelve instrumental ballads. Not that there's anything wrong with Miller's lovey-dovey acoustic-guitar solos, it's just that my ear drums almost burst when Sting and Placido Domingo teamed up for a stunning rendition of "Ave Maria". With other guest-singers including Chris Botti ("Prelude Number Three For Clavier") and Alejandro Lerner ("Mi Fe"), Shapes truly shines when vocals are put to Miller's romantic music. With such a classical sound, it is extremely difficult to believe that Mr. Miller was once a band-member for the nineties, pop super-group Backstreet Boys. Fortunately for fans of jazz, Miller seems much more influenced by Kenny G than Howie D. Performing poignant renditions of breathtaking classics such as "Adagio In G Minor", "Nimrod Ninth Variation" and the infamous "Moonlight Sonata (Piano Sonata No, 14)", Miller's third studio release shaped out to be much more than I could have ever expected.