There could have been no better choice for turning Sandra's ideas for a really personal album into such genial reality than Jens Gad, the guitarist and co-producer of some of Sandra's earlier albums who is already more than familiar with the artist and her work. Sandra put her whole trust in him for this ambitious project, and it paid off. Jens Gad is a truly versatile musician who puts in a convincing performance as leading composer, performer and producer, and in his guitarist role never fails to add strikingly refreshing touches. Sandra's sisterly affection for him lends perceptible emotion to the songs. The two spent nearly a whole year working in Jens' studio on Ibiza, and the musical richness that emerges is without a doubt one of the great strengths of the album. All credit for the depth of the content goes to Sandra herself - more than half of the lyrics were penned by her and reveal a sensitive soul which does not shy from touching old wounds or childhood hurts. This is an album of astonishing frankness and honesty, fascinatingly atmospheric, and soundwise beautifully packaged.
The Art of Love - the album - opens with a dreamlike spoken word performance to a heavy, mysterious beat. What D'ya Think of Me is one of those monologues in the half-light of morning when thoughts go round in circles - a slow, swelling overture. Next comes the no less confessional The Way I Am, an ode to the great moments of dance culture, interspersed with elements of Munich disco sound and Philly soul. In short, the ideal track for a single and one that's set to shoot Sandra into the charts and onto the dance floor. The title song too is pure fascination in sound, a crystalline ballad to electric guitar with a delicate accompaniment on the koto, played by an old friend, Miyabi Sudo: The Art of Love has its roots soundly in the 1980s, which is ultimately the crucial decade for Sandra's work as a whole. An unconventional electronic beat also underpins Once Upon A Time, an atmospheric mantra on the subject of fairytales that opens out into an ethereal jazz guitar solo. This number was inspired by all those traditional fairytales that were too violent to be read to her children. She was always in search of for more positive tales, not infrequently making them up herself.
The moving Dear God... If You Exist is also about childhood - her own. This is a heartfelt, impulsive prayer which also cites parts of the Lord's Prayer. For the choir recordings, Sandra brought her own eleven-year old sons Nikita and Sebastian into the studio. The origins of this song lie in her own experience as a latchkey kid, which adds even greater eloquence to what is probably the most spiritual song of her whole career. Equally impressive is her interpretation of Sinead O'Connor's Put Your Arms Around Me. The Irish singer - for whose artistic extravagance, together with that of Björk, Sandra has the utmost admiration - has only recorded a demo version of the song so far and gladly offered it to her fellow singer from Ibiza. Thanks to some uncommonly transparent production, Sandra succeeds in imparting unique magic to this beautiful song of consolation. She also succeeds in instilling a dreamy kind of beauty to the laid-back Mediterranean-style pop number What is it About Me. Jens Gad accompanies Sandra's wistful singing with a superbly tempered acoustic guitar, crowning the whole with a beautiful guitar solo.
The outstanding artistic harmony that exists between Sandra and Jens Gad is again demonstrated by Silence Beside Me, a gentle ballad with a laid-back lullaby rhythm - a smooth operation indeed. The romanticism with which Sandra sings of times of solitude is supreme. What comes over as child's play here was actually a real challenge in the studio. Casino Royale is an archetypal James Bond song, named after the soon-to-be released remake of what is probably the funniest adventure of the world's most famous spy. The song was penned by renowned songwriters and producers Rich Nowels and Billy Steinberg. Although it won't be heard in the latest Bond adventure, Sandra's fans will be bowled over by this stylish thriller.
Love is the Price is the return contribution for Sandra's participation in the last album by DJ Bobo, with whom she recorded the duet Secrets of Love. On this album, you can hear DJ Bobo with some high-precision rap. Equally tense is the farewell song What's Left to Say, while Shadow of Power is a fabulous hymn to vitality and zest for life combining elements of trance, world music and Ibiza sound in a highly original sound universe. By way of a grandiose, positively high-powered finale is All You Zombies, brilliantly staged and produced with the participation of children's choirs. Sandra rediscovered this major hit by The Hooters, which was originally recorded in 1985 - the same year in which Sandra's own mega-hit Maria Magdalena stormed the world - during a 1980s review. "I was overwhelmed," says Sandra. "I can already see myself on stage with 30 children singing this song. It'll be fantastic."
So Sandra is already looking ahead. After some spectacular live performances this year, this new album is simply begging to be performed on stage. The Art of Love is more than just a blissful celebration of beautiful sound with an exceptional artist at its centre; while being a marvellous image of precisely that art of love which is the driving force behind any successful artistic creation, it is also, inversely, a witness to the love of art. Sandra's supreme achievement is a major artistic act of liberation. Probably her most adventurous, varied and ambitious solo album, it will delight not only her present fans. Sandra has every reason to be proud - with The Art of Love, this attractive, eminently likeable singer has found her own path and at the same time opened up new artistic horizons. Take it from the top!
Da capo!