Critics praised the album for its laid-back yet soulful blend of styles, while also highlighting Heinzmann's artistic authenticity, genre versatility, and her clear move away from formulaic mainstream pop. Commercially, Roots to Grow was less successful than its predecessor but reached number four on the Swiss Albums Chart and made it to the top twenty in Germany. Leading single "No One (Can Ever Change My Mind)" peaked at number twenty-seven on the Swiss Singles Chart.
Background
In January 2008, Heinzmann won Stefan Raab's talent contest SSDSDSSWEMUGABRTLAD, organised by commercial television channel ProSieben for his daily late-nigh show TV total.[1] As a result of her win, Heinzmann released her debut single "My Man Is a Mean Man," a number-one hit in Switzerland, and signed a record deal with Universal Records Domestic Division , kicking off work on her debut album Masterplan.[2] Recorded in just nine days,[3] it was largely produced by Paul NZA and Marek Pompetzki. Released in March 2008, the soul and funk-influenced record sold more than 230,000 copies and went platinum in Germany and Switzerland, making Heinzmann one of the biggest debuts of the year.[4]
For her next project Roots to Grow, Heinzmann reteamed NZA and Pompetzki. Eager to take a more thoughtful approach after the rushed recording of her debut album, Universal granted her significantly more time for the recordings.[3] In an interview with Kielerleben, Heinumann commented: "I think you can really hear the vocal development and the growth in my musical confidence. The producers have become like family by now, and I no longer had the fear I did with the first album, having to record 14 songs in nine days without any feedback. On top of that, it's a very musical record – with lots of live horns and strings – and incredibly diverse."[3] Taking her sound further into the soul and funk genre, Roots to Grow features songwriting credits from Joss Stone, Rick Nowels, Guy Chambers, SoShy and Bryn Christopher.
In his review for Männer magazine, editor Michael Rädel found that Heinzmann "simply makes music that relaxes. Effortless and laid-back, she sings with soulful ease over smooth reggae and soul rhythms, melting away worries and stress." He declared "I Don’t Know How to Hurt You", the upbeat "Bag It Up," and "No One (Can Ever Change My Mind)" as the album's highlights.[8]Berliner Morgenpost's Silke Böttcher noted called Roots to Grow a "highly listenable and danceable mix of pop, rock, and soul, with detours into reggae, R&B, and jazz."[9]
Artur Schulz from laut.de felt that "as a whole, the 14 tracks offer a varied cross-section of different styles [...] Even if this push for independence doesn't always fully succeed (yet), Heinzmann makes a clear effort to break free from the monotonous mainstream pop served up by so many casting show darlings. What remains consistently noticeable is that here’s an artist who’s genuinely and seriously invested in her work—without any need for pointless media antics. Stefanie Heinzmann in 2009: mainstream, but the better kind—always solid, and at times delivered with real punch."[6]MyFanbase wrote that "with her second album, Heinzmann proves that she definitely has the potential to stay in the business for the long run—provided she continues to focus on her strengths while reinventing herself and avoiding repetition. Roots to Grow offers an enjoyable and varied mix of styles, all seamlessly brought together by Heinzmann’s distinctive voice into a refreshingly strong overall composition."[7]
Commercial performance
Although Roots to Grow did not achieve the same level of commercial success as its predecessor Masterplan (2009), it became another top ten-seller for Heinzmann, opening and peaking at number four on the Swiss Albums Chart.[10] A steady seller, it would remain 18 weeks on the chart.[10] In Germany, it debuted and peaked at number 13 on the German Albums Chart.[11] It stayed in the Top 100 for 15 weeks.[11] In Austria, the album charted noticeably lower than Masterplan, peaking at number 41 on the Austrian Albums Chart.[12]
Track listing
All tracks produced by Marek Pompetzki and Paul NZA.[13]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
