This is background music; you should know that going in. But you're probably looking for that anyhow. I bought this because I wanted the Duke's take on The Carol of the Bells. I had heard it on Pandora, and had to get it. The rest of the CD is as Martha says: good for parties, dinner, etc., where you want to actually HEAR the music, but not be knocked over by it. This is not lightweight jazz, it is soft jazz. It's perfect if you're looking for it to do its job in the right setting.