They reached their namesake year, but unlike Arthur C. Clarke's 2001: A Space Odyssey or George Orwell's 1984, the group 2002 never offered great expectations. Across an Ocean of Dreams sounds pretty much like their last several albums, which means lots of women's choirs oohing and aahing in celestial bliss, Enya-esque pizzicato strings, and meandering melodies. 2002 aspires to a quiet classical grandeur, but at a sluggish pace that makes Yanni sound as if he's on an adrenaline high. Wrapping you in faux-velvet gauze, they muffle the very air coming from your speakers. Late in the album, "Lady of the Moon" almost cuts through with a plaintive mix of acoustic and electric guitars, a bit of Renaissance recorder, and a breathy woman's chorus. But by then, you've been smothered to death. --John Diliberto