SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: NINA HAGEN – HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN

NINA HAGEN 
HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN
GRÖNLAND RECORDS

If you’ve ever dreamed of watching late-career Marlene Dietrich play an enigmatic preacher in a European arthouse rock musical, you’re in luck! Nina Hagen’s new gospel album, HiGHWAY TO HEAVEN, is about the closest approximation you could get to such a thing (that’s a compliment).

The German punk pioneer has never bothered to court mainstream commercial appeal, and this album, her second collection of gospel music since her 2010 release Personal Jesus, is proof of that. While the concept might seem like a put-on, she sells it by performing the lyrics with utmost emotional sincerity.

The up-tempo opening number, “Everybody’s Going to Have a Wonderful Time Up There” (also known as “Gospel Boogie”) immediately establishes to the listener that they are in for an unhinged experience. This is a jaunty little tune about partying in Heaven while all the sinners sizzle below in Hell. With this, as well as the Sister Rosetta Tharpe homage “Somebody Prayed For Me” and the funky bass powered “Walk with Me,” Hagen seems to rightly recognize that rock ‘n’ roll was born of black gospel music, both in sound and in spirit. Rock musicians and preachers are really quite similar, because they ask their audiences to come together to be moved by something bigger than themselves and promise that even the most low-down scoundrels can find salvation.

It does feel slightly uneasy to listen to such Jesus-y lyrics given the current rise of Christian conservatism, and Hagen’s history as a provocateur almost makes one question her intent in covering this material. But the gravelly tone of her voice and the grab bag of offbeat musical styles prevent it from feeling like something you’d hear at a contemporary megachurch. In fact, the electric organ driven “Let’s Be Happy” feels more like the theme to an ‘80s televangelist program. HiGHWAY TO HEAVEN’S scattered sonic identity is endearing, but the reggae-inspired tracks, “Dry Bones,” “Dust on the Bible,” and “Gospel Ship,” are probably the weakest, as their pacing doesn’t fit with the album’s manic vibe.

HiGHWAY TO HEAVEN is unquestionably bonkers and some may find it completely off-putting. While the title draws immediate comparisons to AC/DC’s classic album Highway to Hell, thematically it’s closer to the 1980s TV series of the same name, about an angel “on probation” sent to earth to do good deeds until he earned his spot in heaven (ask your grandma – it starred Michael Landon). Like that character, Hagen seems to understand that redemption can only be earned if you believe it is possible. As Oscar Wilde said, “Every saint has a past, and every sinner has a future.” This album won’t be for everyone, but if you understood any of those references, it might be for you.

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