Seven Catches Fire, Again

“Ich will Feuer fangen” – “I want to catch fire” – sings Seven on the title track of his new mini album, “Brandneu”. His last, “4Colours”, was, like many of his earlier albums, a massive hit in Switzerland. And yet, with “Brandneu”, his thirteenth LP, Seven has found not only the vision but also the courage to truly re-invent himself.

Actually, Seven has never been short of courage. After all, the very act of forming a funk band in a country where funk tended to be seen as something that only the Americans could possibly be good at, took great courage. A workaholic in the tradition of his great idols, James Brown and Prince, against all the odds, Seven proceeded to turn himself into the most popular home-grown funk and soul singer by far, becoming hugely successful not just in Switzerland but also the surrounding countries, especially Germany.

“Brandneu” – “brand new” – marks a massive step into the unknown for Seven, and at the same time a step back into his youthful days as a fan of German rap music. Inspired by a concert by German R&B singer Joy Denalane, he was reminded how it had been her debut album in 2002 that showed him how it was possible to be a soul singer, singing in German. Only now, however, Seven has found the courage to try the same. “Brandneu” contains five new Seven songs, all with German lyrics and a deep, contemporary R&B feel.

Co-written with his old side-kick Massimo Buonanno and produced by two “hungry cats” from Berlin, Kilian & Jo, “Brandneu” was released on 28 February by Sony Records.