25. March 2025
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Media Review

Michelle – Anders ist gut

Florian Buechtingby Florian Buechting

Michelle - Anders ist gut

Michelle - Anders ist gut
3.8

Rating

 3.8/5

Flyctory.com Pros

  • Very characteristic voice and sound
  • Some amazing deep songs
  • Nice mixture of "easy" and "deep" tracks

Flyctory.com Cons

  • Especially some schlager-party stuff is a bit too thin

Latest when Michelle represented Germany in the Eurovision Song Contest 2001 in Copenhagen, she became an important part of the German Schlager scene. Especially on the album side, she has constant success since then, so that I was really looking forward to listen into her latest tunes, Anders ist gut (“Different is good”), which has been released on 23rd October 2020.

 

Michelle – About The Artist

Michelle’s civil name is Tanja Gisela Hewer. She was born in Vilingen-Schwenningen in Southwest Germany on 15th February 1972. Before her teenage years already, she grew up in a foster family. Already her first single, Und heut’ Nacht will ich tanzen (“I want to dance tonight”) had some decent chart placement in Germany. Her success grew steadily and her fifth studio album So was wie Liebe (“Some kind of love”) already made it to the Top 10 in Germany and Austria in 2000. The biggest European audience received Wer Liebe lebt (English version: To Live for Love), which placed eighth at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2001. Another single, Idiot, which she recorded with her ex-husband Mathias Reim in 2002, got a golden record in Germany. Her last album, the 2018 Tabu, placed fourth in Germany and third in Austria. Anders ist gut will be her fifteenth studio album, on top of a 1999 Christmas album. I recently reviewed the debut album of her daughter, Marie Reim.

 

Michelle – Anders ist gut – Track by Track

The album includes 13 tracks and lasts 58 minutes. There is also a 21 track deluxe version with bonus versions of songs.

1. Vorbei vorbei

The album starts with the major single release Vorbei, Vorbei (“Over, over”). Quite straight and commercial German Schlager about unhappy love. A well-produced song.

2. Anders ist gut

The second song of the album is the title track, a self-confident song about being individual and different. I feel that the production of the song is quite thin, especially compared to Vorbei Vorbei, which is really a shame, the lyrics are not too bad.

3. Killeraugen

Killeraugen (“Killer Eyes”) starts very sulky about wanting to stay single, but then running into a new love with Killeraugen on the dancefloor.

4. C’est la vie – So ist das Leben

Oh, c’est la vie, so ist das Leben
Mal geht‘s gut, mal geht‘s daneben

(“Oh, c’est la vie, that’s life
Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it goes bust”)

The album drifts to deep schlager music. Mainstream, not too special.

5. Ich zieh das jetzt durch

Ich zieh das jetzt durch (“I stay the course”) is such a contrast to the song before. An autobiographic view through Michelle’s life, from her very first band to multiple broken relationships to her connection to her fans. Wonderful piano ballad.

6. Ich liebe Dich nicht mehr

Ich liebe Dich nicht mehr (“I don’t love you any more”) is a powerful song about feeling free after a breakup. The only really characteristic element about that song is Michelle’s voice, which is simply unique and has a great memorability. It will serve some schlager parties, for sure, in the future.

7. Comeback

Comeback is a song about love, which is still not really finished. One of the least present tracks of the album.

8. Dann werden uns die Sterne leuchten

Und ist die Nacht auch viel zu Dunkel
Dann werden uns die Sterne leuchten
Ist der Weg auch ziemlich schwer
Dann werden uns die Sterne lechten

(“And if the night is far too dark
then the stars will shine for us
If the route is pretty hard
Then the stars will shine for us”)

In this part of the album, just don’t think too much about the lyrics and dance to the music – or press the fast forward. The album does have deep and interesting moments – this one is very commercial mainstream schlager music (and not even the best track of the album)

9. Heldin

Just when you feel that there is not too much substance in the stories of Anders ist gut, you run into Heldin (“Hero”). The easy-listening song describes life and struggle about a single parent mother living to support her child. Great one – my highlight of the album.

10. Brief an meinen Vater

Another autobiographic track. The letter to my father, what is the translation of Brief an meinen Vater, describes Michelle’s childhood, about alcoholism, violence, about how Michelle had to follow her mother, when her father persuaded her to come back from the women refugee. And it is a song about tears. Wow.

All die vielen Tränen
Ganz alleine in mein Kissen geweint
Und all die vielen Tränen
Haben für mehr als ein Leben gereicht

All these many tears
Cried in my pillow all alone
And all these many tiers
Have been sufficient for more than one life.

11. Thelma und Louise

Thelma und Louise (which is a movie title) is back to the love songs, but it is also a lovely road song. Nice ballad, which keeps that intimate and deep momentum of the two songs before. Lovely.

12. Mein Wunder

Melodically, the song is a very typical Michelle schlager dance track. The song (“My wonder”) is a very self-confident track. What an optimistic and encouraging message after the songs before.

13. Es tut mir leid

The last song of the ordinary (non-bonus) tracks is another ballad track, which has a slight touch of Wer Liebe lebt to me. The track is an excuse after having done a terrible mistake. Beautiful track, though I would have loved to close the story of this album much rather with Mein Wunder than this one.

 

Michelle – Anders ist gut – Spotify

Here is the Spotify widget to Anders ist gut:

 

Michelle – Anders ist gut – My View

The album is a nice contrast of (quite mainstream) schlager songs and deep stories and message. I personally love the deep songs on this album, I feel that the schlager tracks are partially not that well on point – even though Vorbei Vorbei is likely the most catching song of the album. Michelle fans will love this album, but you might also enjoy it if you rather enjoy German pop music. Good one.

 

German Schlager

Easy, German language pop – here are all postings about German Schlager on Flyctory.com:

 

Spotlight – Flyctory.com Interviews

Here are all postings of my interview section Spotlight:

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