Shoes off & Run

Singer/songwriter/pianist Cheryl B. Engelhardt cannot remember a time when she wasn't playing the piano. She has been writing piano pieces since age 5, involved in vocal groups since high school, and formally studying music since her entry to Cornell University, where she received her degree. Upon moving to the New York area, Cheryl immediately involved herself with the songwriter scene, playing her own material wherever she could, from open mics to headlining in Manhattan clubs. By playing keys in rock groups, Cheryl started to make enough connections to form her own band. Her bass,drums,guitar,keys quartet has also invited saxophone and string players to join their recordings and live performances. Every show is an explosion of innovations and unmistakable intellect, from music video screenings to emotionally charged classical renditions of original rock songs. Cheryl continues to construct her own musical path drawn from her desire for overcoming challenges to write vividly real and emotional lyrics. Cheryl's storytelling embodies painful desire for success, satirical views of the opposite sex, and her personal experiences in love. Her lyrics are dramatically supported by her piano performances and the arrangements of her songs. Her self-produced, debut album, Shoes Off And Run, is a product of sheer determination that benchmarks how far she has come in the past few years and radiates incredible potential. 'I don't really see a specific end to this whole music thing. It really is all about the process; collaborating with other musicians, determining the sound and message I'd like to exude while preserving my true style, figuring out what exactly that style is and how to communicate with it... these are all fantastic puzzles to me that make the album actually have value. I'm excited about this first round, and I'm looking forward to the second. And the third. . . and the fourth.' The inside of Cheryl's debut album cover states: 'There are two ways to look at a picture; from the outside and from the inside . . . Welcome to the inside.' One good listen to Shoes Off And Run and you feel like you truly are on the inside.