It's nigh on impossible to write very much about German singer Stella Sommer's impressive debut album 13 Kinds of Happiness without mentioning the 'N' word. And by that I mean Nico. Because unmistakable echoes of the old girl are all over this record, at the very least in the sombre, mordant vocal tones of Sommer herself, though I'd say many aspects of the album owe something to the late, great Christa Paffgen.
Not that I'm complaining, For Nico now occupies a specific and sacred place in the whole pantheon of Rock and Roll and Sommer and co. do her legacy proud. For here are 13 songs which worm their way into you, well written and beautifully paced, underpinned perhaps by a very specific, wry humour.
Formerly leader of Hamburg band Die Heiterkeit, it seems as if Sommer is now striking off on her own and choosing to do so largely in English whereas she had formerly sang in her mother tongue for the most part. She does so with a fine set of gloomy, atmospheric and occasionally anthemic underground pop songs much deserving of an appreciative audience.
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