Lebe Lauter

by Heather PharesAs a runner-up on the Austrian singing competition Starmania, Christina Stürmer has a voice that sounds good singing just about anything, and a built-in fan base (especially since she was expected to win the American Idol-like show). Post-Starmania, she's crafted a poppy sound tinged with enough rock edge to stand out from other pop starlets, à la Avril Lavigne -- in fact, Stürmer's warm, husky alto makes her voice an even better fit for this kind of sound than Lavigne's. Her fourth album,Lebe Lauter ("Live Loud"), mixes slightly punky tunes like the title track and the TV show theme "Nie Genug" with conventional ballads that are more in keeping with the fare sung by most pop star contest favorites. While she sounds perfectly pretty on "Die Welt" and "Ohne Dich," Stürmer really does come alive on tunes with a little more energy and creativity, particularly "Revolution" and "Um Bei Dir Zu Sein," an icy synth pop track. "Scherbenmeer," a power ballad that shows off her sweet and fierce sides, is another standout. Lebe Lauter is an appealing pop album with a lot of personality -- it's easy to hear why Stürmer has been winning awards in Austria and Germany virtually since she started recording.