Shout It Out is the debut studio album by German recording artist Elli Erl. It was released by BMG in association with 19 Recordings and Hansa Records on October 4, 2004 in German-speaking Europe, following her participation in the second season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar, which she won.
Contents
Background
While she was offered to record a full album with DSDS judge and producer Dieter Bohlen, Erl declined in favor of different collaborators, citing his pop sound and lyrical approach. Instead, musician Frabo was consulted to work on the majority of pop rock–driven Shout It Out, along with songwriters Rea Garvey, Guy Chambers, and Erl herself.
Critical reception
Writing for laut.de, Alexander Cordas described Elli as an artist whose "metier is sophisticated rock" and emphasized her strong vocal performance and independence from typical casting-show production choices. While he noted an "overly polished sound" and only "solid average" songs on Shout It Out, he concluded that the album was nonetheless a musically convincing debut. Jan Gebauer fron Queer.de felt that Shout It Out showcases a more independent artistic direction with contributions from several notable writers and producers. He praised her powerful, expressive voice."
Commercial performance
A moderate commercial success, Shout It Out debuted and peaked at number 33 on the German Albums Chart but failed to chart in Austria and Switzerland. The alnum was preceded by the top ten single "This Is My Life" and produced two further singles, including the top forty entry "In My Dream." However, lackluster sales resulted into the termination of Erl's recording contract in 2005. As of 2018, Shout It Out remains the lowest-peaking debut album by any DSDS winner.
Track listing
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Shout It Out.