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Marie Reim – 14 Phasen

Florian Buechting Media Review No Comments

Marie Reim - 14 Phasen

Marie Reim - 14 Phasen
3.1

Rating

 3.1/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • The album tries to present very different styles
  • Some nice storytelling

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Some songs are just too thin
  • Only "Weil Mädchen das so machen" has high potential

20 year old Marie Reim is an interesting upcoming artist in the German schlager scene. Both of her parents are stars in that genre’s scene, so she might already be feeling some pressure while releasing 14 Phasen (“14 Phases”), her debut album. It has been released on 12th June 2020.

 

Marie Reim – About The Artist

Marie Reim was born on 8th May 2000 in Cologne. Her parents are both quite well known in the German music scene: Her father is Matthias Reim, who had a huge hit with Verdammt ich lieb Dich (“Damn, I love you”) in 1990. The song hold the record in Germany for the longest time a song was on the leading spot of the German single charts. Following that track, he had a few very successful songs and still nowadays has a very big fan base. Marie Reim’s mother is Michelle,  who had several very successful albums in the German pop / schlager genre. With Wer Liebe lebt (“Who lives love”), she represented Germany at the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 in Copenhagen and finished eighth.

There is not too much bio available about Marie Reim. Her parents support her career, she had her first TV appearance alongside her mother in 2015. Marie Reim is a certified fitness trainer, before she signed her first record deal at the age of 18. On 14th Feburary 2020, she released her debut single SOS.

 

Marie Reim – 14 Phasen – Track by Track

The album contains 14 songs and lasts 47 minutes

1. SOS

SOS was Marie Reim’s first single.

Ich schick’ ein SOS
An mich als SMS: „Nicht verlieben“

(“I am sending an SOS
To me as SMS: “Not falling in love””)

It is German schlager, so that you should not expect a superb depth in the story. You need to accept that when you listen to music like this. Marie Reim has quite some sympathy from my side due to her parents – but this track is just too thin to me. I also feel that her voice is stronger in some other tracks of this album. Sorry, don’t like it too much…

2. Wie ein Pfeil

Wie ein Pfeil triffst du mein, mein Herz
Ich glaub’, ich bin so krass verliebt (So krass verliebt)
Nur wir zwei durch den Pfeil vereint
Ich hab’ gewusst, dass es dich gibt (Dass es dich gibt)

(“Like an arrow you are hitting my heart
I think, I am crazy in love (crazy in love)
Just us united by the arrow
I knew that you are out there (that you are out there)”)

Second song – overall, I definitely like it more than the starting track. It is classic schlager, quite well produced. I also like Marie’s vocal presence.

3. Weil das Mädels so machen

This track makes me smile from the very beginning – the key reason is that especially in the first chorus, Marie Reim just sounds like her mother in this song. Weil das Mädels so machen (“As girls do it like that”) has been selected as Marie Reim’s second single – and I definitely support this selection. One of the best songs of this album, very catchy – and even not too thin in lyrics.

4. Rosarote Brille

Rosarote Brille (“Pink glasses”) is following the same concept as the songs before: young girl’s stories, maybe a bit too teenie-like and naive. It is a bit sad that (maybe apart from the third song) so far this schlager production follows these gender stereotypes. Marie Reim is not a 14 year old any more. This song again shows so much potential of her. Hope she is able to emancipate musically soon.

5. Sonne

Sonne (“Sun”) is a track, which is just produced to maxize the level of being easy to grasp. Quite repetitive. Brain off, party mode and sing or dance – that is what pop and schlager are about sometimes. Thus, this track is not a lyric masterpiece, but a very solid production.

6. Stell alle Uhren auf unendlich

Stell alle Uhren auf unendlich (“Set all watches to endless”) is a very slow track. Even though Marie’s voice feels a bit thin here and there, I really like the song, it is also a nice contrast to the five songs presented so far. Good.

7. Bei mir ist immer Sommer

Even though I do not agree to individual songs, there is one thing I like about 14 Phasen: the producers really want to present a nice variety of kinds of atmosphere and mood. Especially at the beginning, this song feels to be very modern. Hard to believe that at Marie Reim, there is always summer (that’s what the lyrics say) – but I likely just take this aspect too seriously.

8. Medizin

The songs starts as a piano ballad and feels to have so much potential – but then turns to a rhymtic, but slow piano song. I feel that the contrast is just too huge. Don’t like it too much.

9. Lebenselixier

Lebenselixier is again a quite modern sound and could easily be a pop/dance track. May not my most favorite genre, but definitely a good song, well arranged and one of my favorite songs of the album.

10. Wofür

14 Phasen is like a rollercoaster ride to me. After some pleasing songs, I struggle a bit with Wofür (“Wherefore”). It just not as straight and well produced and again feels a bit too thin to me.

11. Wissen können

This one is unfortunately again on the Wofür level. I rather struggle with it. At most average – no real reason to listen to it, even though it does not hurt.

12. Ich bin satt

I personally enjoy much more when Marie Reim is singing with a low voice. As she does so at Ich bin satt, I just have to take the positive review rating again – even though the song itself is definitely also more on the “too thin” side of schlager life.

13. Immun

Immun (“Immune”) – maybe not the way you would call a song nowadays. It is an unfortunate love song (“I am immune against you”), which is in the Top 3 of songs of this album to me. Schlager ballad production  with depth also on the arrangement side. Would love to listen to many more songs like that one – bad luck that there is only one more…

14. Einen Grund

These are Marie Reim songs I love to listen to. Piano ballad, even some string sounds in the background. Not too soapy as well, Einen Grund (“One Reason”) is just a great ballad. Would love to listen to that one live on stage.

 

Marie Reim – 14 Phasen – Spotify

Here is the Spotify widget to Marie Reim’s debut album:

 

Marie Reim – 14 Phasen – My View

I feel that Marie Reim does a really nice job in 14 Phasen. She is illustrating her talent at her debut, going for very different songs. However, sometimes this wide spectrum is a bit too far out of the comfort zone – and sometimes, the producers go a bit too much for the low-hanging fruits. I feel there is a lot of potential in Marie Reim and she is showing it. Let’s see how her next songs after 14 Phasen will be – this first trip to the world of album releases gets stuck in the average rating regions.

 

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