Barbara Stephan's (http://barbarastephan.com) "I'm Awake" is an accomplished, lushly produced (Stephan shares the credit with Joe Puerta) effort that signals what could be a stellar career ahead. Such a prediction isn't hyperbole. Anybody who listens to the middle of this record, when the stuff of classic singles such as "Footsteps on the Floor," "Taken," and "It's Not What You Do" are paraded before our giddy ears, will quickly nod to that call.
Stephan avoids the bland singer/songwriter trappings that are making many music critics become allergic to the genre. First, her voice is not that of some folky manic-depressive; it is strong and pumped with a passion for living, even when she is hurt, as on "Taken." Secondly, the music is truly electric, beginning with the funky undertow of "Listen and Learn" to the crisp drumming and bluesy harmonica of "Don't Want to Wait" to the Latin flavors of "Footsteps on the Floor," wherein Stephan is reminiscent of a sober Amy Winehouse.
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"It's Not What You Do" is a standout because it is so irresistible, namely the chorus, which Stephan sings with such infectious glee. Dare I say she is more appealing than Sheryl Crow's attempts at this rootsy Adult Contemporary pop style? The Steely Dan-like silky webs of jazz and white funk on "Taken" will seduce you into think it is a love song unless you pay attention to the lyrics, and you find out it's about a woman being deceived by a man in a relationship. Stephan's soulful voice is given the spotlight in the title track, which oddly enough isn't the best cut on the CD but whose title does summarize the uplifting vibe of the album.
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