Allessa – Spielerin
There are artists in the German-speaking schlager world who keep going year after year without ever really surprising anyone, and then there is Allessa, who with each new album reveals just a little more of who she really is. The Austrian singer, born Elke Kaufmann in Graz, began her musical journey in the late 1990s in the girl group C-Bra and went on via the cover band Rapublic to become one of the most successful voices in modern pop schlager. Alongside her music career, she also completed a degree in veterinary medicine, something she is still proud of. With “Spielerin”, her latest album, she returns with what she herself describes as her most personal and authentic work to date.
The album is released on her new label LASSO-MUSIC, where Allessa says she has finally found a musical home without restrictive boxes. That freedom can be heard. She contributed to the songwriting on eight of the twelve new tracks herself, giving the album a clearly personal stamp. The title “Spielerin” symbolises someone who approaches life with confidence and seizes opportunities, and that attitude can be felt throughout almost every track.
The first single “Zwischen Deinen Zeilen” opens the album with plenty of emotion, and tells of unspoken feelings and wounded pride, wrapped in a catchy chorus. “20.000 Meilen”, the single with which Allessa dominated the airplay charts for twelve weeks, six of them in first place, is of course also included. It is an emotional anthem about second chances that now ranks among her biggest hits. With “La Bambola” she introduces a more cheerful, danceable sound, while “Er ist doch viel zu jung (18 Jahre)” has a narrative, almost cinematic character.
Tracks such as “Firewall” and “Verdammt” show a slightly more forceful side of Allessa, while “Solange wir leben” and “Auf Liebe gibt es keine Garantie” remain closer to the classic, romantic schlager tradition. This balance between vulnerability and confidence is precisely where the album succeeds. It never becomes tiresome, even across fourteen tracks including two remixes.
What “Spielerin” above all shows is an artist who by now knows exactly who she is and what her audience expects from her, without falling into repetition. The lyrics feel sincere, the productions are modern without sounding forced, and Allessa’s voice, with its distinctive warmth and strength, remains the common thread throughout the entire album.
With “Spielerin”, Allessa confirms her place as one of the most consistent voices in modern German-language schlager. Fans get exactly what they were hoping for, and that is quite an achievement for an artist who has now been around for almost two decades. (8/10) (LASSO-MUSIC)
