Masterplan is debut studio album by Swiss singer Stefanie Heinzmann. It was released by Universal Music Domestic on 7 March 2008 in German-speaking Europe, after she won the television talent contest SSDSDSSWEMUGABRTLAD on the ProSieben late-nigh show TV total. Recorded within just two week, the album was mainly produced by Paul NZA and Marek Pompetzki, with additional production from Tommy Tysper and Gustav "Grizzly" Jonsson. Musically, Masterplan is a pop album with strong influences from soul and funk, largely shaped by Heinzmann's song choices during the competition performances.
Critics commended Masterplan for Heinzmann’s vocal performance and its authentic 1970s-inspired sound, describing it as a competent debut, though some noted a lack of innovation and that it did not fully realize her artistic potential. Commercially, the album became one of the biggest debuts of the year, reaching number one in Switzerland and the top five in Austria and Germany, while eventually going Platinum in Switzerland and Germany. In November 2008, a deluxe edition of the album was released, including the previously unreleased single "The Unforgiven" by Metallica, a cover version of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition", a B-side and two remix versions.
Background
In mid–2007, her brother convinced Heinzmann to take part in Stefan Raab's talent contest SSDSDSSWEMUGABRTLAD, organised by commercial television channel ProSieben for his daily late-nigh show TV total. She was picked as one of the 20 contestants for the show, and with her interpretations of soul, jazz and funk classics by the likes of Macy Gray, Norah Jones and Joss Stone, she managed to qualify for the final show on 10 January 2008. There, Heinzmann performed two songs, "Only So Much Oil in the Ground," a Tower of Power cover, and "My Man Is a Mean Man," which was specifically selected for her. Through televoting, the audience chose Heinzmann as the winner of the show, beating the two remaining contestants, Steffi List and Gregor Meyle.[1] As a result of her win, Heinzmann signed with Universal Records Domestic Division and began work on her debut album Masterplan.[2]
CDStarts editor Matthias Reichel concluded that, by comparison, the work had become "something truly remarkable." He found that the producers "made a smart move by choosing soulful pop songs in a 1970s style for [Heinzmann] — a perfect match for her voice. Whether driving, groovy, or ballad-like , the Swiss singer always hits the mark with her vocal performance. Emotional or full-on soul power – the listener immediately senses where this young artist's strengths lie — and the compositions support her at a consistently good to very good level."[3]MusicHeadQuarter felt that Masterplan "fully delivers on the promise Stefanie made with her earlier performances and debut single, and it's unlikely to disappoint her fans. A confident debut and a worthwhile listen for anyone with eclectic musical tastes."[7] Nina Hortig from Monsters & Critics called the album a "lively, refined, and above all, authentic funk record, full of character and soul."[8]
Susanne Lang, writing for Bild, found that while Masterplan "doesn't always fully succeed, it is nevertheless worth hearing. This is entirely due to Heinzmann's voice, from which great things are yet to come."[9]LetMeEntertainYou concluded that "all in all, the album turns out to be surprisingly good for a talent show winner with strong vocals, but only average when viewed more broadly,"[5] while Pooltraxx wrote: "Despite her evident talent, Heinzmann doesn't quite live up to her full potential on this debut. Including one of those spine-tingling moments from the talent show finals would have been a smart move. Instead, she floats somewhere between a hesitant Janis Joplin and a watered-down Earth, Wind & Fire."[6] Less impressed, Moritz Enninger from laut.de found that "innovation was mostly nowhere to be found" on Masterplan and that it "was not safe from mainstream pop and boredom."[4]
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