(Photo Credit: Jo-B Sebastian)
Uta Habbig - Another Sky (LP)
With her album Another Sky, which follows her debut album Windward (2016), the EP Songs from the Lighthouse (2020) and the single The Love We Know (2023), Cologne-born, New York-based singer and songwriter Uta Habbig delivers an enchanting and impressive work. The album not only reflects an extremely versatile singer, but also portrays an ambitious musician whose musical spectrum is as multifaceted as the artist herself.
Another Sky is a deeply personal work that invites listeners to experience music as a place of refuge - the title of the album says it all: even a dark sky is at some point followed by another sky, which always gives us a new perspective. With Another Sky, the musician combines soundscapes from jazz, chamber pop and classical music to create a work that is as gentle as it is energetic. In ten original compositions, she explores the coexistence of dreams, longings and the challenges of life. Her music offers snapshots of vulnerability and strength, captivating through complex harmonies with yet accessible melodies and profound lyricism. With a voice that carries both intimacy and expressiveness, Uta Habbig invites her listeners into a musical world that alternates between consolation, inspiration and reflection.
Fantastic guest musicians such as American jazz pianist Glenn Zaleski and Danish jazz trumpeter Ari Kárason enrich the album with their extraordinary talent - either as a sensitive duo (with Zaleski on Seasons and All That I Can See) or as a touching and virtuoso soloist (Kárason on Dreams and Petite Chanson). With Franky Rousseau (guitar and producer), Adi Meyerson (bass), Dominic Mekky (piano) and Connor Parks (drums), her audience experiences a stunningly harmonious ensemble that seems tailor-made for the interpretation of her lush and stirring compositions.