Mann mit der Mundharmonika, the full-length album debut of
Michael Hirte, is a 40-minute instrumental showcase for the man's exceptional talent as a harmonica player comprised of 12 songs, the majority of them well-known standards.
Hirte rose to fame in 2008 on the reality show Das Supertalent, winning the competition with a convincing 72 percent of the vote (in comparison, the second-place runner-up, Kelvin Kalvus, won a meager five percent of the vote). The song with which
Hirte won Das Supertalent, "Ave Maria," is the opening song on
Mann mit der Mundharmonika and also the highlight of the album. Other standouts include the inspirational
Secret Garden song "You Raise Me Up"; the Christian hymn "Amazing Grace";
Dieter Bohlen's 2003 chart-topping hit from Deutschland Sucht den Superstar, "We Have a Dream"; the signature song of
Andrea Bocelli, "Time to Say Goodbye"; the
Simon & Garfunkel favorite "Bridge Over Troubled Water"; and the Christmas carol "Stille Nacht." Practically all of the material is familiar to some extent, and
Hirte handles it all with ease, showcasing his exceptional talent as a harmonicist. The easy listening musical production is handled by
Dreamfactory, a moniker of
Joachim Mezei (aka
Jeo), a German hitmaker with an impressive track record of commercial success that includes work with
DJ Ötzi,
Mark Medlock,
Daniel Schuhmacher,
Christina Stürmer, and other superstars of the German-language world. All in all,
Mann mit der Mundharmonika should please fans of
Hirte and them alone. As if it weren't obvious, anyone looking for creative or daring music should definitely look elsewhere, for this is a safe, commercially oriented, and frankly dull album of overly familiar standards performed in plain fashion.