I Can Feel You In My Heart

"Raised in a musical household in the Southwest side of Chicago, vocalist Michael Poss found his muse in college by performing in local musical productions. Singing commercial jingles, modeling, and acting in local dinner theater led to Poss moving to Los Angeles in 1985 and involving himself in the nightclub scene there. After landing some roles on daytime soaps and an NBC sitcom, he independently recorded and produced a CD single entitled CHRISTMAS IN CHICAGO, which earned him local success on his hometown radio stations. 1996 saw the release of I CAN FEEL YOU IN MY HEART, a pop album consisting almost entirely of Poss' own songs, and in 2000 he released a collection of classic film love songs, entitled SILVER SCREEN SERENADES." - Zac Johnson, AMG (ALL MUSIC GUIDE) "Poss is a Chicago native aiming for the attention of 30-something listeners who enjoy wistful and reflective lyrics in their pop music. He possesses an easy baritone voice that coasts effortlessly over a simple arrangement of acoustic guitars, tinkling piano lines, and subtle samba rhythms. More musically direct is the melancholy additional cut, "Our Old High School Days." Both songs entice interest in the album I CAN FEEL YOU IN MY HEART." - Larry Flick, Reviews & Previews, BILLBOARD "Many writers sing, many singers write, but precious few can do both and pull it off. Lucky Michael Poss, he’s a member of that select club, as demonstrated on his new recording,I CAN FEEL YOU IN MY HEART, an effort he says was three years in the making. "It took me about three years to do, because things can be touch and go and I was financing it myself", he says. "Bit by bit, track by track, it started coming together. I’ve always wanted to do one like this, more of a pop format." The song, "I Still See Your Eyes" has more of a samba format to it, and so it’s a bit different than some of the others on the album," he adds, pointing out that "each of the songs is trying to say something in its own way, but it was important that they all worked together". And work they do, no matter how diverse the themes. From the slow pulse of "Believe In Love" to the very pretty "Our Old High School Days", each song shows attention to detail in the writing, composing, and execution. (However, we’re not going to admit remembering The Carpenters, whether we do or not. Suffice it to say that our turntable has been kept in working order despite the advent of compact discs.) Of his effort, Michael says that, "I think what I like about it is that it’s something... I hate to classify it as metaphysical, but you can take a lot of my songs that way. Whether I’m singing about somebody you love, or a Higher Power, you can take them personally. It’s about love, not necessarily a man, or a woman. I’m really happy about that. It can be taken as inspirational, and for me that has to do with approaching the second millennium. There’s a lot happening in the world, and what I have to say is that political or not, you have to see that things are going on and the world is changing. There’s a broad spectrum to my audience, and so I really don’t want to classify it any more than that." Metaphysical or not, Michael obviously keeps up with news and issues that don’t often find their way into cabaret, such as alien visitations (knew that’d grab your attention!). His "Area 51" is a fun little romp to Roswell, in which he is able to put a sort of X-FILES spin on a funky little number. He also deviates from doing just his own stuff to perform a wonderful cover of Dave Clark’s "Because". He credits Clark with helping him realize as a kid that music could be "cool". It’s always interesting and usually entertaining to find out where people get their inspirations, and this is the first time we’ve heard Clark mentioned, albeit deservedly so." - Joe Morris, Club Corner, BACKSTAGE WEST/DRAMA-LOGUE "Combining spirituality with his own thoughts on love and life, Michael Poss has come up with his slick debut album, I CAN FEEL YOU IN MY HEART, in which he performs, produces, and composes most of the songs (and he’s not bad to look at, either!). His labor of love took three years to produce, drawing inspiration from such artists as Carole King and The Carpenters (and those of us who really know The Carpenters’ music will recognize a familiar lyric or piece of music here and there, particularly in "Our Old High School Days"). Michael also pays tribute to one of his childhood influences, The Dave Clark Five, with his own interpretation of "Because". One thing I really like about Michael’s songs is that, for the most part, he has done away with pronouns. So when he sings "...just let me give you all the love you need...", the listener, male or female, can take the words personally. His messages are simple yet profound, singing "Believe In Love (And Then You’ll Know)", speaking to those who push for equality and justice. At times, his voice lacks range and energy, but it’s definitely not short on sincerity. The CD ends beautifully with a quiet, acoustic mix of "That’s All We Need To Know", inspired by the book All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten: "...the answers to life’s problems lie within the human soul, for we are all God’s children...that’s all we need to know." -Chris Hart, NIGHTLIFE SHOWCASE ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE "This music is full of inspiring words and positive affirmations about everyday real life... My personal favorite is the song "Believe In Love (And Then You’ll Know)", the chorus sings to the heart..." - J.Lorraine, THE BOTTOM LINE (Palm Springs, CA)