Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Misha: Dreaming With Eyes Wide Awake

2

Misha: Dreaming With Eyes Wide Awake

By

Sign in to view read count
Misha: Dreaming With Eyes Wide Awake
Michaela Steinhauer is a German-born, New York based singer and this self-produced album features eleven of her own compositions and arrangements. These dreamy, romantic numbers benefit from her choice of accomplished musicians, not least Hendrik Meurkens who contributes elegant harmonica featured on five of the songs and vibraphone on another five.

Despite having spent much of her life in Germany and ten years in Moscow, she delivers the songs in perfect English with scarcely a trace of a Continental European accent. Songs such as the wistful "Where I Do Belong?" are evinced with moving poignancy, her voice subtly interlaced with the harmonica.

Not all are ballads, the relatively more strident "Hello, How Are You Doing?" plays well against the vibes and piano. Lyrically, Steinhauer is clearly capable of writing and singing affecting lyrics, as evidenced by numbers like the gentle "She Wonders Why" and the ironically titled "Yet Another Love Song." The lively "Family Games," underpinned by Michal Jaros's walking bass is genuinely foot-tapping and enhanced by Steinhauer's scat singing. The pace quickens with "Day And Night" but is slowed with the elegiac "The House Is Quiet." Meurkens is heard on harmonica again interwoven with Steinhauer's dulcet vocals on the title track.

This is Steinhauer's seventh CD to date and aptly demonstrates her considerable songwriting and singing talents. There's nothing dislikeable here and plenty to like.

Track Listing

Here Comes Autumn Again; No Cure; Where I Do Belong?; Hello, How Are You Doing?; She Wonders Why; Family Games; Day and Night; The House is Quiet; Dreaming with Eyes Wide Awake; Yet Another Love Song; Time.

Personnel

Misha
 

Misha (Michaela Steinhauer): vocals; Hendrik Meurkens: harmonica, vibraphone; Glauco Lima: piano; Michal Jaros: bass; Samuel Martinelle: drums.

Album information

Title: Dreaming With Eyes Wide Awake | Year Released: 2016 | Record Label: Self Produced

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.