Muttersprache () is the ninth studio album by German recording artist Sarah Connor, released by Polydor Records on 22 May 2015. It is her first album to be primarily recorded in German. After her participation in the reality television series Sing meinen Song - Das Tauschkonzert in 2014, the German version of the series The Best Singers, Connor was encouraged to record songs in German. Muttersprache debuted on top of on the German Albums Chart, marking her second number-one album following 2005's Naughty but Nice. Muttersprache is primarily a pop and R&B album.
Promotion Selected as the album's leading single, "Wie schön du bist" was released to radios and stores on May 1, 2015. An instant success in German-speaking Europe, it peaked at number two on the German Singles Chart. In Germany, the song became Connor's highest-charting single since 2005 number-one hit "From Zero to Hero." It was eventually certified platinum by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI). In Austria and Switzerland, "Wie schön du bist" reached number eleven and number thirty on the national singles charts, where it became her biggest-charting single in seven years.
Critical reception
laut.de critic Sven Kabelitz rated the album two out of five stars. He found that "unfortunately, the lyrics linger on the level of late Rosenstolz, while using the same phrasing machine and the sentimentalism of Juli, Silbermond and Luxuslärm for long stretches." Kabelitz described Muttersprache as "sentimental feel-good banalities from the literary cat calendar, in which everyone and no one can find themselves." Matthias Reichel from CDStarts described Connor's switch to German as a "very bold step" that ultimately "works," enabling her to express herself more directly and without taboos. He called the album a "solid comeback" and noted that it never becomes "truly embarrassing," despite its emotional and personal themes. Overall, he concludes she is "on the right path," with nothing essential missing from her new direction. Writing for Süddeutsche Zeitung, Johanna Bruckner viewed Connor's German-language shift as risky but with "hit potential." She criticized "these rhymes" as often simplistic and "annoying," and concluded she is "if anything, the better Helene Fischer."
Chart performance Upon its release, Muttersprache debuted at number-one on the German Albums Chart. It marked Connor's ninth consecutive top ten album and second effort to reach the top position following the number-one debut of 2005's Naughty but Nice, her fourth studio album. With first week sales of more than 100,000 copies in Germany, Muttersprache was certified gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) just days after its release. It has since been certified triple platinum.
In Austria, Muttersprache debuted at number three on the Austrian Albums Chart behind both Conchita Wurst's Conchita and Andreas Gabalier's Mountain Man. It became Connor's highest-charting album since Naughty but Nice which also peaked at number three a decade earlier. In Switzerland, the album debuted at number-one on the Swiss Albums Chart, her first album to do so.
Track listing
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Muttersprache Chart (2015) Peakposition
Year-end charts + Year-end chart performance for MutterspracheChart (2015)PositionChart (2016)Position Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) 31 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 7 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 42Chart (2017)Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 100
Decade-end charts + Decade-end chart performance for Muttersprache Chart (2010–2019) Position German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 10
Certifications and sales
Release history + Release dates and formats for Muttersprache Region Date Edition(s) Format(s) Label AustriaMay 22, 2015 Germany Switzerland AustriaNovember 4, 2016 Germany Switzerland
References
External links SarahConnor.com — official site