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Bright Shiny Things3.5
Dark Imagining
Jeff Myers, composer; Rachel Schutz, soprano; Andrea Christie, piano; Christopher Gross, cello; Ashleé Miller, clarinet
Bright Shiny Things, 2026
New York composer Jeff Myers’s third album, Dark Imagining, is a collection of art songs that Myers says “represent different facets of my voice.” The album is split into sections: “Poe Songs”, “Boy”, “Baudelaire Songs” and ends with three Hawaiian songs. While there are some gems in the album, its downfall lies in its broad concept.
Based on the program notes, it seems that Myers ties this album together through form—the art song—and time frame as he writes that this album offers “an opportunity to share some of the worlds I’ve been living in for the past two decades.” This results in a collection that feels, occasionally, unfocused. “Poe Songs” and “Baudelaire Songs” share a gothic thread while “Boy,” with text by Jennifer de Guzman, and the Hawaiian songs seem to be placed only to provide a contrast to the gothic. For some, this deliberate variation in tone may be pleasing, but I found that there was not enough justification for the shift. I would have preferred that Myers leaned fully into the gothic soundscape, which the album’s cover and title seem to suggest.
That being said, when looking at individual songs, Myers displays a deep understanding of the chosen texts through his compositions. I was particularly engaged in his interpretations of Edgar Allan Poe’s and Charles Baudelaire’s writings—i.e. his choices to repeat a poem’s line, draw out words or allow the instrumentalist to carry the narrative. The third song, “A Dream Within a Dream,” is an excellent example of how Myers, soprano Rachel Schutz and pianist Andrea Christie carry the listener through the poem’s story. It starts with soft simple notes on the piano, while Schutz sings with a clear and angelic voice, representing an emerging melancholy. As the piano picks up, so does Schutz’s volume as the narrator turns to desperation.
The pianist proved to be the shining star on this album as she contributes to the album’s most engaging moments with precise and technical playing. Cellist Christopher Gross and clarinetist Ashlee Miller who are featured on two of the Hawaiian songs—“The Hula Pa-Ipu” and “The Hula Manō”—are fine instrumentalists and add some nice diversity to the album’s sound and atmosphere. But it is Schutz who helps to ground the album, as her familiar voice connects songs that occupy very different worlds.
Dark Imagining may have missed the mark on theme, but it still offers some interesting and well-performed songs that suggest great potential for this composer’s next project.
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