In dieser Stadt

Albenrezension

Six years and six albums after she made the leap from the reality television show Starmania to the top of the Austrian charts with her commercial debut single, "Ich Lebe," Christina Stürmer unveiled In Dieser Stadt, the full-length follow-up to her chart-topping unplugged album, Laut-los (2008). Not much has changed for Stürmer since Lebe Lauter (2006) and Schwarz Weiss (2005), the two albums she released prior to going acoustic on Laut-los. Once again she teams up with producer Thorsten Brötzmann, a seasoned hitmaker whose credits include smash hits by No Angels, Monrose, Jeanette, Die 3. Generation, and DJ Ötzi. Stürmer and Brötzmann first collaborated on her international breakout album, Schwarz Weiss, and they've worked together ever since, scoring a long list of hits in the process. Brötzmann wrote several of the songs on In Dieser Stadt and graces the album with a polished contemporary pop/rock style befitting a twentysomething pop/rock celebrity such as Stürmer. Written by not only Brötzmann but a long list of professional tunesmiths, the album includes several standout songs, most notably the lead single, "Ist Mir Egal," a cocksure song with a propulsive bass riff; the sensitive ballad ballad "Mehr als Perfekt"; and what might be the album's high point for many listeners, "Ein Leben Lang," an uplifting song that is unfortunately sequenced way at the end of the album when more ideally it would be front-loaded. Though In Dieser Stadt doesn't measure up to either Lebe Lauter or Schwarz Weiss, which were more inspired efforts with a fresher style and more impressive highlights, it's good to hear Stürmer rocking out again. She's as likable as ever. Fans content with more of the same should be pleased with In Dieser Stadt, an album with precious few surprises.