"Ryan Engelbrecht" CD showcases a superb young man's talent and abilities far-reaching beyond his years. The music and production nicely back the CD's showcase - Ryan's powerful vocals. As a songwriter, this "popera" star is headed in the right direction with his Latin-inspired composition "Tu." We cannot wait to hear more of his original compositions including his current project, a full-length opera. The elegant, strong, smooth, powerfully intimate operatic "You Raise Me Up" and "To Where You Are" are standouts on this CD. As a baritone, Engelbrecht transfers smoothly and succinctly into an impressive falsetto to send chills down the spine. If you enjoy artists such as Josh Groban, you will enjoy this CD.
Eric Lawrence - Radioindy.com (Feb 8, 2008)
It's easy to root for people like Ryan Engelbrecht. Even with talent, the process of cutting through the clutter of several thousand independent artists who release CDs each year is daunting to say the least. But it helps if you have a clear baritone voice, and something to say, and Ryan possesses both in great measure. What is notable about twenty-something Ryan is that he has a firm grasp on what his target audience is, and it is not his generation. His baritone beacon harkens back to a simpler, more romantic age if you will, and while there has been a smattering of couples in their 30's, he notes well that the appeal of his music is greatest amongst those who have seen the big 5-0 come and go. His self-titled 2007 CD release brought this comment from radioindy.com:
" Ryan Engelbrecht's CD showcases a superb young man's talent and abilities far-reaching beyond his years. The music and production nicely back the CD's chowcase - ryan's powerful vocals. As a songwriter, this "popera" star is headed in the right direction ... As a baritone, Engelbrecht transfers smoothly and succintly into an impressive falsetto to send chills down the spine. If you enjoy artists such as Josh Groban, you will enjoy this CD. "
As implied above, the independent music marketplace is a tricky thing, and it will be interesting to guage the reaction to Ryan Engelbrecht as the 2004 Houghton College music/vocal grad starts to realize his ambition of taking his music out on the road to new audiences. I think that anyone who spends 15 minutes with him, either in conversation or in concert, will have a hard time betting against him and doing anything but wishing him well.
Arthur Gonick - Saratoga Today (Oct 30, 2009)