Stefan Weiner
Album: Potluck
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 7
Website: http://stefanweiner.bandcamp.com/

This is probably one of the most diverse albums I have listened to for a while. It's impossible to label Stefan Weiner's music, as every song has its very own nature. There is a bit of country (Frozen Ground), traditional honest songwriting like in the opener Fearful Lullaby, soul and pop influences as in Do My Best and Everything's Fine and even some experimental spots (Say I'm Strong). Some tracks are catchy, some need a bit of listening which is great as it makes a change to the similar sounding average songwriting.

It's a brilliant album and it's an absolutely stunning debut album. Stefan Weiner has a relaxed, expressive, changeable voice that at one point reminded me of Peter Gabriel (Driving Northbound). Weiner must have been very well adviced with the production of this first EP of his - it sounds lovely, round and natural. He has an amazing number and an amazing quality of musicians to record with him as well as the singer-songwriters Anais Aida and Mree to be featured on it.

Stefan Weiner's (and his co-writers') lyrics are imaginative and precise at the same time. When somebody is described as to wash my dirty secrets with a toothbrush and a cloth or to plough a path in the frozen ground (Frozen Ground) we know what that means without everything being revealed. This is the life I've been given, I will do my best as in Do my Best might summarize a positive down to earth attitude that shines through all of Stefan Weiner's songs.

How can an artist so young sound so incredibly mature? Especially in the last track Sardines he sounds so confident and laid back in his vocals as well as in the whole arrangement of the song, with a simple but wonderful melody - like we've heard from songwriting giants such as Josh Ritter or Glen Hansard that look back on many years of experience and album releases. Either this is as good as he can ever get or there are great things to expect from Stefan Weiner. I'd go for the latter.

Dagmar Brudnitzki