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 She stands before one, 5 foot 2 inches of concentrated power. She radiated a positive energy like a leaking atomic power plant. Eyes full of expression, a large Julia Roberts mouth, impudent disheveled fraying hair. Alina (born in 1965 or 1966), the alert Karlsruherin with a high sympathy factor, one noticed immediately, had the stuff of a star. The Rapperin with a German/Italian family tree (her father is Sicilian), lays down "Freunde & Feinde", her second album, fully packed with 18 titles, also containing her current single "Mit dem Waffen einer Frau". But lets put everything in sequence. After training as a media form was completed - she had already published an album in the summer of ‘97 with EMI Electrola. Title: "Da kannste mal seh’n". The CD and single climbed into the Charts and gave to the, then young, Rapper lady rapid success. Da kannste mal seh’n! But despite the good placement, the Karlsruherin changed companies. Her second and current album "Freunde & Feinde" appeared with BEV, a Frankfurt label. Change stood like large typed characters over the whole album. Remaining co-operative with her producer Marcus Kissel (who worked on the first album). "I learned how to party with him", remembers Alina. "I knew who he was and knew his DJ background with Rödelheim-Hartreim. I had already made a modest hobby of HipHop in ‘95. But, I did not think at that time of a career in the music business. Co-operation with Marcus ran very well from the start, and the success of the first album with everything that comes: BRAVO photo sessions, TV appearances - that surprised me a little." But Alina made the best from these not always beautiful experiences. She wrote texts about it, which one can often hear on "Freunde & Feinde". The title and the account with those, which are only behind money ("Die Liebe zum Geld"), with those, who only disagree over disagreements sake ("Respekt"), and those, which are "Feinde" and are yanked out of the addressbook. "Alina goes steeply", says the song "Jeden Tag" and that can only mean obligations. She rapped about things that hold and met their bad times; times tender like the way thunderstorms are always in the black. She discovered and described the typical "Blender", the guys who carry a Rolex, but their cars are never refueled. Alina, who had explained at 20, an "Engel" can easily testify like her, in her selfstatement-rap "Jeden Tag" making clear her only postion. "If someone today so maliciously asked me where I am musically, I say to him: Yesterday I stood at the foot of the mountains, today I am at the middle of the slope and tomorrow I will stand on my cross on the summit". The notorious disarray of the scene found Alina "childlike and redundant". And they were right. Whether it is now more pop or less Street or what else the key words classified by the HipHop cosmos, is complete shit. Alina was Alina and that is more than enough. "Freunde & Feinde" has a lewd flow and is boring - completely contrary to many other albums of this category - no second. English sung Soul Hooks, Spanish Refrains, Pop elements of all kinds, acoustic sprinkle and electronic Raffinesse - is in abundance. "Music, like text", says Alina, "has changed. With "Da kannste mal seh’n" Marcus and I made nearly everything in a single-handed attempt: I wrote the texts, Marcus and the machines did the remainder. This time we worked with volume that supports me live. And thus, became much more livelier." The change ran organically and Alina’s very own style maintained (with renowned Studiocracks among other things). Olive Poschmann (bass), Holger Düchting (guitar), Stephan Weiler (key board) and Roman Storch (drums) developed songs like a large radio play (listen to the dialogue between the arguing partners in "Ich werde gehen") on the listener. Whether it seized the monotony of everyday life and work precisely ("Mein kleines Universum") or one’s security by its carelessly endangered relationship ("Sechsuhrdreiundvierzig") describes, she captivated with her point the exact description of situations and humans. Alina, who understands to deal with words, has done the trick. Her language is of today and gets along - that is pleasing - without all too many anglicisms. And, Kissel & Co. arranged a perfect sound for her rapid rap attacks. With large love for sound details, which did visibly well in the area, with appropriate solo inlays improved different action strands, skillfully produced "Freunde & Feinde" to an experience, which one rarely gets to hear from Germany. One again and again discovers new things and pulls an Alina again and again into its spell. The sympathetic Karlsruherin, which looks always so seriously in photos, would like to write a child’s book, stating this only after reading too little and her music hobby was made her occupation. She no longer is in the music business as it took too much of her "free time" away. Perhaps someday we will be able to her her lovely voice make more music again! -Joe 8/02
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