Gronemeyer
Album: I Walk
Label: Groeland
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.groenemeyer.co.uk

He's shifted 18 million albums at home in Germany, outselling Michael Jackson and his Mensch album is certified gold 21 times. He co-financed the film Control, organised Germany's Band Aid and his Groenland label has released the Neu! back catalogue as well as albums by Psapp, The Earlies, Gang of Four and Metric.

But who in the UK knows Herbert Grönemeyer?

Well, Antony (of the Johnsons) Hegarty does - and turns in the perfect guest vocalist's performance on the delicately beautiful Will I Ever Learn, claiming the song for his own in the process. On this evidence - and Grönemeyer has made no bones about this being a direct tilt at the English-speaking market - Hegarty's audience is the key to this album. Just short of Cabaret-style camp, the album is laden with big songs delivered with drama, feeling and plenty of gusto.

It doesn't really translate, but Germany's version of easy-listening is called Schlager - and it's nearly all about the lyrics. To German speakers Grönemeyer enjoys a reputation roughly equal to those of, say, Hal David, Elvis Costello and Tim Rice.

Here, although these are translations of songs from his recent catalogue, he's concentrating more on the music, not least when James Dean Bradfield - another big fan - climbs on board for To The Sea and delivers a vocal showing that sits somewhere between Scott Walker and Nick Cave to create a strummy, hummy, string-soaked epic melodrama.

Elsewhere it strays a little too readily into bad 80s FM-radio power ballad territory (Because Of You), but there is plenty to suggest that given the right promotional platform, we could see this wholly endearing character (check out Grönemeyer's biography) carve himself a UK audience to go with his London home.

Nick Churchill
www.thegranvillechambers.co.uk