Translation of the RollingStone article:

BIG HIT IN GERMANY.

She is almost unknown in her mother country Britain but in Germany the sensitive songwriter Jan Allain has a devoted following. There are debuts that raise more questions than others.

Questions other than the usual ones. 'A Kind Of Glory' by Jan Allain is such a debut. Why, do you first ask yourself, does such a gifted songwriter need a solid ten years to have her debut, with a 'Best Of', released with a well established label? What, you ask yourself secondly, is a woman who comes from virating Hackney in London,doing in the most inspiring place I've ever seen.. that is Münster!?

And last but not least:How come Gary Kemp (yes that's Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet)has written the album liner notes? Answer to question

1. (So..Mrs Allain) is: For a long time it wasn't possible for her to give up control of her work. She finally realised'That I would not be able to do this on my own for eternity. A best-of album, after four self distributed albums,was the next logical step towards introducing people to my work' Answer to question

2. An affordable room in a friend's flat. Mrs Allain is actually broke and therefore does need the money she's making from gigs in Germany desperately. But doesn't she have a record deal now? Yes she has, but infortunately not much of an advance, it's purely a licencing deal. And what about question number

3. How about Mr. Kemp? 'He's an old school friend. He has listened to my songs during the last years and he offered to write something'. Kemp's best days with Spandau Ballet were already over when Jan Allain was revealed as a 'Big Hit' at a festival in Tübingen in 1988. 'I have never deliberatly chosen a career in Germany' says Allain today, but the gigs in Germany kept the singer songwriter, who is virtually unknown in the U.K., going. 'But it's more than that. When I sing the ballads, they start kindling the lighters. At least in the lesbian community.'

With her next studio album Allain wants to win over the heteros as well. Something that could easily happen with these songs which neither get lost in in-jargon nor disappear in an esoteric direction. What's missing is managment, new musicians and the money for a new production. What's there, are the new songs. Allain..'I write lots of songs.They are like birds all waiting to fly out of the window' And who is going to open the window? Another of those questions.

author: Jörg Feyer