Ben Zucker - Jetzt Erst Recht!

3.4

Rating

3.4/5

Flyctory.com Pros

Amazing, very characteristic voice
Some really good songs

Flyctory.com Cons

Especially the middle of the album is monotonous
... and there are some rather weak sounds in it as well
In some songs, the voice feels too weak (for a Ben Zucker song)

Welcome back to Flyctory.com, Ben Zucker. After I have been gifted to report from his arena show in Cologne in November 2019, supported by the lovely Van De Forst, Jetzt Erst Recht! (“Now more than ever”) is his first album review on my blog. His third album overall will be released on 16th April 2021.

Ben Zucker – About The Artist

Ben Zucker was born as Benjamin Fritsch in Ueckermünde in the former German Democratic Republic and grew up in Berlin (East). He started to do music at the age of 14. He initially did grunge and rock music, but then switched to German lyrics. Already with his debut single Na Dun?!, he grew some attention. The song became the title track of his debut album the same year. The album peaked fourth in the German charts and stayed in the Top 100 for 129 weeks. On top of that, the album was in the Top 10 in Austria and Switzerland. With the following album, Wer sagt das?!, he even topped the German album charts in 2019 – even though the sales were worse than his debut. His sister Sarah is also doing German music. I reviewed her debut album Wo Mein Herz ist already.

Ben Zucker – Jetzt Erst Recht! – Track by Track

The twelve song album lasts 38 minutes.

1. Guten Morgen Welt

The album starts with two single releases. The first one, Guten Morgen Welt (“Good morning world”) is a typical Ben Zucker schlager song: Disco Fox rhythm, his raspy voice. His power feels to be a bit faded, though – and there have definitely been more energizing songs in his career. If that’s the promising opener, this album review might not reach out of the highest ratings

2. Bist du der Mensch

Bist du der Mensch, der mich versteht?
Der auf mich setzt, für den ich leb?
Bist du der Mensch, der meine kleine Welt bewegt?
Bist du der Mensch, der mich vermisst?
Der mich leiser macht, mich nie vergisst?
Bist du der Mensch, der diesen Weg mit mir hier geht?
Bis zum Ende geht

(“Are you the human, who understands me?
Who is trusting in me, for whom I am living.
Are you the human, who moves my tiny world
Are you the human, who misses me?
The one who calms me down, who never forgets me?
Are you the human, who is going along this road with me?
Going til the end.”)

The second song is a piano ballad. One of the best songs of the album to me. Very personal, emotional. Again, I feel, his voice is recorded a bit too plushy – but I enjoy to listen to the second single.

3. Das ist nicht das Ende der Welt

“This is not the end of the world” – the third song is a happy pop track, which makes you smile. The song is quite short, just 2:15 minute. One reason for that is that it does not come with an overwhelming depth. But it is an enjoyable one, for sure.

4. Ich weine nicht um dich

That’s the way I like Ben Zucker songs. German rock with a touch of schlager and country, good lyrics. The song is a break-up song, which is also quite energetic. Good one.

5. Dazwischen bin ich

In this part, the album is presenting some songs, which are definitely a treat for Ben Zucker fans. Nice songs, which are rock and country enough to be not too old-fashioned and uncool. Good listen.

6. So ein Mann

So ein Mann (“Such a man”) is rather rhythmic and uptempo. The song is rather thin – it is much more coming with a schlager touch than the songs before. At least you cannot deny that the chorus is having a catchy touch – finally, Zucker can profit in these kind of songs from his amazing voice.

7. Danach fragt die Liebe nicht

Was sonst von einem Leben bleibt,
danach fragt die Liebe nicht.
Wie weit das Meer aus Scherben reicht
danach fragt die Liebe nicht.
Sie reißt Dich einfach mit

(“What else remains of life,
love is not asking for that
How far the sea of shards is lasting
love is not asking for that
She is just carrying you along”)

One of these comments I write too often in album reviews: individually, the song is definitely not too bad. But where is the added character, the new tune? Where is the special thing? Danach fragt die Liebe nicht (“Love is not asking for that”) thus turns to become just a nice tune in the context of this album.

8. Schon wieder für immer

I am more and more in that “Didn’t I listen to this track already?” mode. The album is not offering something new and thus tends to become boring. Schon wieder für immer is generally a rather weak song, I feel.

9. Ich wär gern alles, was du brauchst

I would not say that Ich wär gern alles, was Du brauchst (“I would like to be all you need”) is an outstanding recording, but its nice vibe leads to the change in sound I just needed. The shuffle-alike rhythm also leads to a nice touch.

10. Ich weiß, was ich will

Ben Zucker goes power ballad. I feel that Ich weiß, was ich will (“I know what I want”) is one of the best songs on the album regarding the power and the energy his voice can create. That’s that kind of song which just make you calm down and listen. Great.

11. Deine Lügen machen süchtig

Deine Lügen machen süchtig (“Your lies are addictive”) leaves no doubt: Jetzt erst Recht! just does not want to blame the German schlager fans too much. This song is one for the rather traditional listeners.

12. Auf uns

Auf uns closes the album with a gentle piano tunes. The songs sounds like a farewell, so it is definitely well-positioned at that point of the album.

Ben Zucker – Jetzt Erst Recht! – Spotify

Here is Jetzt Erst Recht on Spotify:

Ben Zucker – Jetzt Erst Recht! – My View

I really like the voice of Ben Zucker. I like the way he is doing German tunes with a country music touch. Finally, I really enjoyed his 2019 arena tour. Jetzt Erst Recht! is not a bad album, but I have to say that I am a bit disappointed about it. I expected more than that. There are some quite thin songs and you just feel a certain monotony especially in the middle of the album. I would love him to head towards the country rock genre – he would be amazing in that. His third album feels a bit of undetermined – and it is simply not good enough to make all of his potential listeners happy with these twelve tracks.

German Rock Music Reviews

Here are all my Media Reviews of rock music related to Germany:

Larrikins – Nichts Ist Jemals Sicher

It's about five years since the German band Larrikins have released their most recent album. The fifth studio album overall, ...

Subway To Sally – Post Mortem

There are not too many bands who dare to release albums a few days before Christmas. The more I was ...

The O’Reillys and the Paddyhats – Coming Home

There are just a few bands, which use Christmas time for album releases. The O'Reillys and the Paddyhats are a ...

Privacy – Dreams EP

6th December is St. Nicholas' Day in Germany. Children are getting some sweets, if they put (well-cleaned) shoes in front ...

Mense – Spanish Night

German artist Mense traveled through Spain for half a year. It was only himself, his wife and his dog Angus, ...

Heinz Rudolf Kunze & Die Big Band der Bundeswehr – Lauschangriff

The holiday season is typically also prime time for Best of albums. Lauschangriff is a collection of the biggest hits of Heinz Rudolf ...

Suzan Köcher’s Suprafon – In These Dying Times

The German band Suzan Köcher's Suprafon was in the news recently for a very tragic reason. While the band was ...

Digital Carbs – Floods EP

Maybe it is because I had to do some long evenings to prepare my Media Review coverage for the weekend of ...

In Extremo – Wolkenschieber

Medieval music, metal style - the German band In Extremo is really successful with this rather rare blending of genres ...

Dear Robin – Timebound

With Dear Robin, I am having a look at a German rock band in this review. On 30th August 2024, ...

Ray.An – Hey You!

Country-rock made in Germany - there are not too many acts in my home country who are able to deliver ...

Jonas Green – Neue Wege EP

Rather early before the release date of 5th July 2024, I ran into the EP Neue Wege by German artist Jonas Green ...

Human Zoo – Echoes Beyond

Doing hard rock with a saxophone? Human Zoo simply do it! On 14th June 2024, some eight years after their ...

Deafcon5 – Exit To Insight

On a promotion platform, I ran into the album Exit To Insight by the German band Deafcon5. The album is already ...

Ron Spielman – Lifeboat

When scanning new releases as of 24th May 2024, I was running into a very interesting release by a German ...

Jack McBannon – Tennessee

Three years ago, I introduced you to the album True Stories by Jack McBannon. Despite his artist name, the country ...

Ochmoneks – In Schwarzer Tinte

I already featured the band Ochmoneks twice in my Songs of the Week, on 9th June and on 7th July 2023 ...

Kettcar – Gute Laune ungerecht verteilt

The German rock band is already active since more than two decades. Not too surprisingly, the band is having quite ...

Lautstärke – Ruhe vor dem Sturm EP

Lautstärke is a German band, which is doing German lyrics rock songs with a touch of punk. On 29th March ...

Brokof – Blind Spot On The Bright Side Of Life

The German band Brokof is active since 2007. They established in the German music scene and already released five studio ...

Pawn Painters – pawn painters 1

The name is already suggesting: this one is the debut album of a band named Pawn Painters. The German act ...

Uli Sailor – Für immer jung EP

Which genre are you thinking about when the arrangement solely consists of a piano, a cello and a vocalist? If ...

Anchors & Hearts – Deathlist

In June 2021, I shared the album Guns Against Liberty. The band behind that album is the Hamburg-based melodic hardcore act ...

Kerle Fornia – Ist das der Weg nach Colorado?

After a few mentions in my Songs of the Week, I was really looking forward to listen to the new album ...

Dead Eyed Creek – Out of Phase

This week, I am dealing with quite a lot of music postings during the week. There are two reasons for ...

Fiddler’s Green – The Green Machine

Irish folk rock made in Franconia, Germany? Fiddler's Green proof that this can be quite a success. With The Green ...

Strife 85 – Memories Kill Butterflies

I already featured the Nuremberg-based band Strife 85 twice in my Songs of the Week this year. Right before the holiday, ...

Dritte Wahl – Urlaub in der Bredouille

A vacation album? The title Urlaub in der Bredouille sounds like a road trip album to some French region... But ...

Ticket To Happiness – Aufbruch EP

Aufbruch is a very interesting EP release from Germany as of 15th December 2023. The band recording it, Ticket To Happiness ...

Ben Zucker – Heute Nicht!

Even though the soil in Monheim was quite muddy, the Ben Zucker concert I had there in July was definitely ...

Willow Parlo – See U Whenever EP

Willow Parlo's Facebook profile states With the window open, Willow Parlo turns the backdrop of the depressing and monotonous city ...

Untamed – Untamed

I am typically glad to run into new bands and interesting acts. A few weeks before the release, I received ...

Electric Horseman – Lies to Love for

For the music review weekend of 24th November 2023, I picked a bunch of rather new German acts in my ...

Frollein Motte – UWE

When I started listening to the album UWE of the German band Frollein Motte, I liked their cheeky and straight sound. You ...

Bad Rain – Born To Breathe EP

I always love being able to look into new names, new sounds, new bands. This one is about the rock ...

Luke – Strange Boy in Town

Luke is a German artist and band, who are doing blues rock and Americana rock music. After two EP releases, ...

FRAUPAUL – Was, wenn wir dann durchdrehen… ?! EP

FRAUPAUL is a rather new band from Hamburg. Recently, I ran into some of their songs of the second EP ...

Alex Diehl – Das ist keine Übung

In 2021, I introduced you to Alex Diehl the first time. That year, he released the amazing EP Die Songs, die ...

Collapse Unter The Empire – Recurring

Big release day for Collapse Under The Empire: with Recurring, they don't just publish their tenth studio album overall, the German ...

Joe Leila – Breathing EP

Schrobenhausen North of Munich is typically known for as one of the German centers of asparagus farming. The city is ...

The Blackwhitecolorful – Brace for Impact

The Blackwhitecolorful is a band from my home town Cologne. After a 2020 album release, Brace for Impact is their sophomore ...

Madsen – Hollywood

Madsen is indeed a German family rock band. Three of the six band members are brothers, the band name is ...

Fury in the Slaughterhouse – Hope

When I reviewed the album now by the German rock band Fury in the Slaughterhouse in April 2021, it has been their ...

Later Sons – Rise Up

Some classic hard rock by a new German band project? I got curious when I ran into Rise Up, the debut ...

Crown of Things – Louder Love

The closer you get to summer and vacation time, the easier it is for comparably minor acts to have a ...

Milky Chance – Living In A Haze

In November 2022, right after my birthday, a German world-class band was in focus of my Flyctory.com coverage. One day ...

Grenzenlos – AntiXtrem

Some harder rock from Southern Germany: Grenzenlos have been growing their fan base during the last years significantly. The have ...

Palila – Mind My Mind

When I first googled of "Palila", I ran into a cute yellow-white bird. Palila from Hamburg, however, are less cute ...

Marathonmann – Maniac

I received the album Maniac by the Munich post-hardcore band Marathonmann way before its release on 19th May 2023. Short message: I ...

Indecent Behavior – Therapy In Melody

The album Therapy In Melody was definitely one I was looking forward to. Two of the featured singles by the band Indecent ...

Andreas Diehlmann Band – Long Way To Go

There is quite some blues focus on the releases I opted to share with you released as of 5th May ...

Sebel – Der Boxer

The artist name Sebel is a short form for the civil name of the artist, Sebastian Niehoff. He is a ...

Tino Z – Bluesman

From the Highwayman to the Bluesman: about a year ago, I reviewed the album Highwayman by Tino Z.On 5th May 2023, the German is back ...

Storm Seeker – Nautic Force

Just at the end of the week in which I covered the concert of the Wellerman band The Longest Johns, I ran ...

Musa Dagh – No Future

While I struggled with their self-titled debut album Musa Dagh, some other critics had a completely different view about the first ...

Zartbitter – Hier und Jetzt

I had quite a lot of rock music recently on Flyctory.com. Especially German artists made it quite frequently into my ...

VIVA – Das ist die Wahrheit

Das ist die Wahrheit - "That's the Truth" is the title of the 2023 album of the rock band VIVA ...

Mael & Jonas – Rocket Science

On 10th February 2023, I ran into the single release All my Songs by the German duo Mael & Jonas (in fact, ...

Tanzwut – Silberne Hochzeit

Medieval hard rock, Gothic, dance music? Tanzwut is definitely one of these bands in the German music scene, which are ...

The Legendary – Warlord

An album with a bunny - how could I not give a review of Warlord, the album by the stoner rock band ...

Donots – Heut ist ein guter Tag

The Donots have steadily grown and became an established part of the German rock music scene. They also had quite ...

Keimzeit Akustik Quintett – Schon gar nicht Proust

The band name Keimzeit Akustik Quintett roughly translates to "Sprout Time Acoustic Quintet". The band, which is located Southwest of ...

Sonic Wildhearts – Get It On

The 19th August 2022 edition of my Songs of the Week was lead by a Norwegian-origin band: Hey Rosie by ...

Sündflut – Basta! EP

Basta by the German band Sündflut is one of these records, which I just had a short listen to and just ...

Neufundland – Grind

The Christmas business is more and more turning towards TVs, toys and other stuff, while the music industry is doing ...

Boppin’ B – Saxbomb

Almost four decades of music, 13 albums, more than 6,000 shows - even though Boppin' B are no chart-busters, they ...

Wally – Alles halb so wild

Artists like Wally from Germany are musical encounters which make me enjoy creating contents for Flyctory.com. I ran into his ...

Allee der Diktatoren – Dieses kleine bisschen Wut

I typically rather sort out new albums by the sound than by the popularity of the artists. Thus, I am ...

Magical Heart – Heartsonic

Melodic rock from Munich: Magical Heart are delivering right what you really need after spending a few days at the ...

Kill Strings – Limbo

The band Kill Strings is called "Hamburg's Foo Fighters" - quite a lot of pressure on the German rock band ...

Drei Meter Feldweg – Durak

If you translate the band name Drei Meter Feldweg literally, you end up by "Three Meters of Country Lane". Sound ...

Versus Goliath – Liebe & Chaos

Rather dark rock tunes from Munich: the Band Versus Goliath is releasing their album Liebe & Chaos on 12th August 2022 ...

LustfingeR – LustfingeR

LustfingeR is named to be one of the oldest punk / punk rock bands in Germany. The Southern German band ...

She Bites – Super Hero

She Bites is a German band doing classic rock. After they had a well-reviewed debut album two years ago, they ...

Heischneida – Heischneida II

Powerful party tunes which are made to be great on stage: five years after their first release, the Bavarian band ...

April Art – P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E.

Rock from Germany: on 17th June, the German rock band April Art releases their second album, P.O.K.E.R.F.A.C.E.. I ran into the ...

Kasalla – Rudeldiere

If you feel that Cologne Carnival songs or party music must be a rather regional and limited things, stats of ...

Karaboom – Follow Your Heart

German pop-rock debut: the band Karaboom releases Follow Your Heart on 20th May 2022. I happened to run into the album and ...

Shameless – So Good, You Should….

I typically love glam rock - and thus, the German band Shameless had a rather easy time to get into ...

Marius Müller-Westernhagen – Das eine Leben

A big name and music legend of German rock is back: Marius Müller-Westernhagen releases Das eine Leben, his first studio album ...

Hi! Spencer – Memori EP

Hi Spencer are a punk rock band from Osnabrück, Germany. Especially with their 2019 album Nicht raus, aber weiter ("Not out, but ...

Max Paul Maria – Paradigm Beach

It is already some six years ago since the Berlin-based artist Max Paul Maria released his last album Figurines. On 25th ...

The Jeremy Days – Beauty In Broken

The Jeremy Days have been one of the most important pop-rock bands in Germany in the late 1980's and 1990's ...

Der Sonne zu Nah – Schwerkraft

The name of the German band Der Sonne zu Nah roughly translates to "Too close to the sun". In fact, ...

Tame The Abyss – They Vanished At Dawn! EP

The website of Tame The Abyss introduces themselves as Your new favorite band. In order to gain this kind of global ...

Der To – Hand aufs Herz

Der To is a German rock artist, who is active since 2010. On 11th March 2022, he is releasing his ...

Klaus Lage – Je wahrer die Liebe

70 years of Klaus Lage - the rock singer-songwriter is one of the most iconic artists of the German music ...

Pictures – It’s OK

Britpop / Britrock made in Germany - that's a likely the best short description you can do about the Berlin ...

Herman Rarebell & The Hurricane Orchestra – Scorpion’s Songs Symphonic

The Scorpions are definitely one of Germany's finest international rock music acts. Herman Rarebell has been part of the band ...

Gampe – Tiny House Blues

I am always happy to introduce you to German country and Americana acts. On 13th January 2022, the Munich band ...

Ian Tray Band – Electricity

The time right before Christmas is typically not featuring too many new releases. In my point of view, it is ...

Johannes Scheurich – Mehr Davon

Short before the release date of 10th December 2021, I ran into the album Mehr Davon ("More of that") by the ...

Incredible Pack – Time For Decisions

"Blues rock with a Texan touch" - that's how the press kit to their second album Time For Decisions is describing ...

Musa Dagh – Musa Dagh

When the press kit of a music release uses the wording superband, there are typically two options: either the combo ...

Palila – Rock ‘n’ Roll Sadness

A very interesting album "Made In Germany" somewhere between classic and indie rock: on 12th November 2021, Palila released their ...

Dieter Hallervorden – 80 plus

Dieter Hallervorden is a very famous entertainer in Germany. However, his biggest times in the music business have been the ...

Michael Heppes – Achtung Leben

Honestly, when I ran into his debut album Achtung Leben, I did not know anything about Michael Heppes. However, the album ...

Bodyguerra – Fire & Soul

Rock from Germany: On 15th October 2021, the Western German band Bodyguerra will release their second album Fire & Soul ...

Santiano – Wenn die Kälte Kommt

Santiano became a huge player in the German music scene. They mix rock with shanty and sailor music style sounds ...

Wolfgang Petry – Auf das Leben

In December 2019, I praised the album 2084 by the Pete Wolf Band. The artist behind that project is Wolfgang ...

Peter Maffay – So Weit

Without a doubt, Peter Maffay is nowadays one of the most well-known rock artists singing in German. As a result ...

LUKE – Break The Silence EP

Some more music from Germany this weekend: with his solo project LUKE, Lukas Schüßler (which I spell Schüssler in the ...

Plastic Mars – Up To Our Necks

A new punk rock project from the West parts of Germany: Plastic Mars are active since about four years. On ...

Existent – Kartenhaus EP

Some German rock to be released on 23rd July 2021: I ran into the music of the band Existent and ...

Jolina Carl – Mexican Overdrive

Some country from Germany: just in the week I did the second edition of my German Songs Country Music Picks, ...

Razz – Might Delete Later EP

The sound of Razz feels very international - but in fact they are from the Emsland, a Northwest region in ...

Paul Weber – Alles im Arsch EP

German rock made in Cologne: of course, I am always especially curious when I run into artists I don't know ...

Karlie Apriori – Seelenpassagier EP

I ran into the music of the German singer-songwriter Karlie Apriori, when I checked for 11th June 2021 releases. The ...

Richie Necker – New Songs and Untold Stories

Some cool music from Germany: the album New Songs And Untold Stories was soloely flagged as pop music in a promotion ...

Phil Solo – Harmonie

Harmonie by Phil Solo is one of these reviews which just happened to Flyctory.com while scanning promotion platforms. I ran ...

Kicker Dibs – Vagabund

From a school band to a flat share and finally their debut album - this is a very short wrap-up ...

Sing meinen Song – Das Tauschkonzert Vol. 8

Sing meinen Song ("Sing My Song") is definitely one of my favorite German TV music shows. A group of music artist ...

Durch & Durch – Nice Aber Nutzlos

It can't be too bad to have a smile in these times, can it? When I ran into the German ...

Robert John Hope – Plasticine Heart

When I listened to Robert John Hope's solo album debut Plasticine Heart, I felt that I should definitely share these ...

Fury in the Slaughterhouse – now

Fury in the Slaughterhouse were indeed a very successful German rock act, especially in the 1990's. They have definitely been ...

The Jeals – Rage Generation

The Easter weeks have been quite thin regarding new releases. The more, they are a chance for me to listen ...

Löwen am Nordpol – Löwen am Nordpol

The band which is featured in this review is called Löwen am Nordpol - "Lions at the North Pole". Apart ...

Antiheld – Disturbia

The German rock band Antiheld grew quite a lot during the last years and established in the German music scene ...

Hämatom – Berlin

From Franconia via Germany... to the world? At least in their home country, Hämatom (yes, this means hematoma) became a ...

Wilderlife – Closer Tonight EP

With Flyctory.com growing on the musical side, I have the opportunity to have access to more and more interesting releases ...

Selig – Myriaden

Selig is one of the most famous German rock bands. They started publlishing music in 1993. On 12th March 2021, ...

Blutengel – Fountain of Destiny

Alphaville, Ultravox and Mike & The Mechanics on one album? Okay, I have to give in that neither of the ...

Erik Cohen – Northern Soul

Quite some interesting rock music to be released on 26th February 2021. I originally wanted to start my reviews of ...

Nino de Angelo – Gesegnet und Verflucht

Nino de Angelo is one of my favorite German artists. I will definitely tell you about a very special concert ...

Gsindl – Gsindlsuperdinger

While so far the only German dialect I feature on Flyctory.com is Kölsch, the lovely way to speak in my ...

Jack McBannon – True Stories

Jack McBannon does a quite interesting and versatile fusion of different Americana music styles. Being on stage for twenty years ...

Sonor Teutonicus – Morgenrot

Apart from global mainstream sounds, there are some genres, which have a quite local popularity. The German Schlager is one ...

Bucket Boys – Twentyfive

I enjoy to present German acts as part of my media reviews - and even more if they are successful ...

Michael Schenker Group – Immortal

Happy Birthday, Michael Schenker - some three weeks after the German rock legend turned 65 years, he is back with ...

Don Marco & Die Kleine Freiheit – Gehst Du Mit Mir Unter

Gehst Du mit mir unter - "Are you drowning with me" is the album title of a new German music project ...

Tusq – Rarities & Outtakes

Alternative rock made in Hamburg - the German band Tusq is already active for eleven years. Time to release some ...

Dirk Busch – Spuren (Lieder über das Leben)

Dirk Busch's 1980's song Du bist keine Mona List would be a perfect candidate for my new Songs of my Life category ...

Saltatio Mortis – Für Immer Frei

From street music to the tops of the German charts - Saltatio Mortis have taken the very tough route to ...

Beyond the Black – Horizons

Beyond The Black got some additional focus in Germany when their lead singer Jennifer Haben joined the popular TV format Sing ...

Heinz Rudolf Kunze – Der Wahrheit die Ehre

Heinz Rudolf Kunze is one of the biggest songwriters and rock musicians in Germany. Already in the 1980s, he had ...

Aviation in Germany

Here are all my aviation postings related to Germany: