Sandra – Loreen (Bass Dump Remix) from samoaman on Vimeo.

Invisible Shelter – How Logan Loves It von harbit

On the long career path of a successful pop star, retrospectives are more than just an opportunity to relive the best musical moments of his or her career; they often serve as a break, a cut-off point before an artistic change of direction, or even a whole new start. Nothing could be truer in the case of the music phenomenon, Sandra. In the run-up to the release of her next studio album “The Art of Love” – produced this time by Jens Gad – “Reflections – The Reproduced Hits”, affords the artist, who has lived on Ibiza for many years, a chance to first of all look back at her impressive artistic career, or at least at all the great international hits which she released under her own name and which made her one of Germany’s most successful international pop singers. The fantastic thing about this compilation is that all of the greatest musical moments of her unparalleled career have been reproduced by first-class producer-teams to take on a new, contemporary sound.

Even before embarking on her solo career in the mid-80s, Sandra had already earned her laurels on the international stage. The child star who took her first steps as a singing prodigy at the age of twelve quickly grew into a teenager who was a smash hit mainly in the Far East. As the lead singer of the Arabesque girl trio, Sandra had a number of hits in Asia, especially Japan and Korea. Her big break as a solo artist came when she got to know – and later to love – musician and producer Michael Cretu. Curiously enough, Sandra’s first single was the only moderately successful “Big in Japan”, a cover version of the Alphaville hit. But with the mega Hit “Maria Magdalena” in 1985, the floodgates were opened. This superb song conquered the world and topped the charts in 21 countries. No less than five million copies were sold of this sensationally successful song, which occupied the number 1 slot for nine weeks in Germany alone. From then on, Sandra was a superstar. Whether gentle ballads or dance-floor pop, Sandra’s somewhat mystical-sounding songs and her impeccably produced albums won the hearts of millions the world over. Albums like “Mirrors” (1986), “Into a Secret Land” (1988), “Paintings in Yellow” and “Fading Shades” (1995) are milestones along the path of a singer who has sold more than 12 million CDs worldwide.

“Reflections – The Reproduced Hits” is far more than just a collection of a dozen dazzling hits – these newly produced versions of Sandra’s pop classics have gained a new lease of life. Starting with her all-time great “Maria Magdalena” right through to the grand anthem “Hiroshima” of 1990, these massive hits, most from the 1980s, cogently demonstrate yet again why this decade continues to fascinate so many pop fans. Top 1980s dance-floor blockbusters such as “Hi! Hi! Hi!” and “In the Heat of the Night”, as well as stylish ballads such as Sandra’s heartfelt rendering of “Everlasting Love”, take on a fresh new sound and will delight her longstanding fans – and will certainly win her new ones too. Since she became the mother of twins in 1995, the gaps between albums have understandably become longer. But while “Reflections” sounds the superb final chord of her previous artistic life, a brand new chapter is opening in her glittering career with the upcoming release of her 9th studio album “The Art of Love”. We can give so much away right now – Sandra has never put so much of herself into any previous album project. “This is my baby”, she herself says. And it will soon grow into a giant – promise.

The Art Of Love

In the life of an artist, there are always changing points – decisive moments in which a completely new horizon suddenly unfolds and a whole new world opens up. It’s not rare that an abrupt step of this kind marks a change of direction into the unknown, triggers passion or brings unsuspected talent to the fore. Sandra, the internationally celebrated singer with millions of albums sold, is at precisely one of these points. The Art of Love is her first album without her longstanding creative and life partner, Michel Cretu. For Sandra, this album goes some way to the mystifying her stage image – the almost fairytale image of a flawless pop Madonna. In autumn 2006, Sandra took her fans on a voyage through contemporary remakes of her previous million-selling hits and all-time favourites, including “Maria Magdalena” and “In the Heat of the Night”, with her compilation album “Reflections – The Reproduced Hits”: now, The Art of Love is opening up a completely new chapter in her brilliant career.

There could have been no better choice for turning Sandra’s ideas for a really personal album into such genial reality than Jen Gad, the guitarist and co-producer of some of Sandra’s earlier albums who is already more than familiar with the artist and her work. Sandra put her whole trust in him for this ambitious project, and it paid off. Jens Gad is a truly versatile musician who puts in a convincing performance as leading composer, performer and producer, and in his guitarist role never fails to add strikingly refreshing touches. Sandra’s sisterly affection for him lends perceptible emotion to the songs. The two spent nearly a whole year working in Jens’ studio on Ibiza, and the musical richness that emerges is without a doubt one of the great strengths of the album. All credits for the depth of the content goes to Sandra herself – more than half of the lyrics were penned by her and reveal a sensitive soul which does not shy from touching old wounds or childhood hurts. This is an album of astonishing frankness and honesty, fascinatingly atmospheric, and soundwise beautifully packaged.

The Art of Love – the album – opens with a dreamlike spoken word performance to a heavy, mysterious beat. What D’ya Think of Me is one of those monologues in the half-light of morning when thoughts go round in circles – a slow, swelling overture. Next comes the no less confessional The Way I Am, an ode to the great moments of dance culture, interspersed with elements of Munich disco sound and Philly soul. In short, the ideal track for a single and one that’s set to shoot Sandra into the charts and onto the dance floor. The title song too is pure fascination in sound, a crystalline ballad to electric guitar with a delicate accompaniment on the koto, played by an old friend, Miyabi Sudo: The Art of Love has its roots soundly in the 1980s, which is ultimately the crucial decade for Sandra’s work as a whole. An unconventional electronic beat also underpins Once Upon A Time, an atmospheric mantle on the subject of fairytales that opens out into an ethereal jazz guitar solo. This number was inspired by all those traditional fairytales that were too violent to be read to her children. She was always in search of for more positive tales, not infrequently making them up herself.

The moving Dear God…If You Exist is also about childhood – her own. This is a heartfelt, impulsive prayer which also cites parts of the Lord’s Prayer. For the choir recordings, Sandra brought her own eleven-year old sons Nikita and Sebastian into the studio. The origins of this song lie in her own experience as a latchkey kid, which adds even greater eloquence to what is probably the most spiritual song of her whole career. Equally impressive is her interpretation of Sinead O’Connor’s Put Your Arms Around Me. The Irish singer – for whose artistic extravagance, together with that of Björk, Sandra has the utmost admiration – has only recorded a demo version of the song so far and gladly offered it to her fellow singer from Ibiza. Thanks to some uncommonly transparent production, Sandra succeeds in imparting unique magic to this beautiful song of consolation. She also succeeds in instilling a dreamy kind of beauty to the laid-back Mediterranean-style pop number What is it About Me. Jens Gad accompanies Sandra’s wistful singing with a superbly tempered acoustic guitar, crowning the whole with a beautiful guitar solo.

The outstanding artistic harmony that exists between Sandra and Jens Gad is again demonstrated by Silence Beside Me, a gentle ballad with a laid-back lullaby rhythm – a smooth operation indeed. The romanticism with which Sandra sings of times of solitude is supreme. What comes over as child’s play here was actually a real challenge in the studio. Casino Royale is an archetypal James Bond song, named after the soon-to-be released remake of what is probably the funniest adventure of the world’s most famous spy. The song was penned by renowned songwriters and producers Rick Nowels and Billy Steinberg. Although it won’t be heard in the latest Bond adventure, Sandra’s fans will be bowled over by this stylish thriller.

Love Is The Price is the return contribution for Sandras participation in the last album by DJ Bobo, with whom she recorded the duet “Secrets of Love”. On this album, you can hear DJ Bobo with some high-precision rap. Equally tense is the farewell song What’s Left to Say, while Shadow of Power is a fabulous hymn to vitality and zest for life combining elements of trance, world music and Ibiza sound in a highly original sound universe. By way of a grandiose, positively high-powered finale is All You Zombies, brilliantly staged and produced with the participation of children’s choirs. Sandra rediscovered this major hit by The Hooters, which was originally recorded in 1985 – the same year in which Sandra’s own mega-hit “Maria Magdalena” stormed the world – during a 1980s review. “I was overwhelmed,” says Sandra. “I can already see myself on stage with 30 children singing this song. Itll be fantastic.”

So Sandra is already looking ahead. After some spectacular live performances this year, this new album is simply begging to be performed on stage. The Art of Love is more than just a blissful celebration of beautiful sound with an exceptional artist at its centre; while being a marvellous image of precisely that art of love which is the driving force behind any successful artistic creation, it is also, inversely, a witness to the love of art. Sandra’s supreme achievement is a major artistic act of liberation. Probably her most adventurous, varied and ambitious solo album, it will delight not only her present fans. Sandra has every reason to be proud – with The Art of Love, this attractive, eminently likeable singer has found her own path and at the same time opened up new artistic horizons. Take it from the top!

Both Press Bulletins by EMI Music Germany and Crocodile Music Management. Released 2006.