It would be pleasing to be able to announce an explosion in German pop music that rivals the new German cinema, but the American debut album of Nena, supposedly one of the hottest bands in Germany today, offers no evidence whatsoever of such an event. Nena is the name of both the group and its lead singer, and though they'll probably bend over backward to ward off this comparison, it's impossible not to think of Blondie – except that the songwriting on this LP is nowhere near as clever as the best work of Chris Stein and Debbie Harry. "99 Luftballons" is a really delightful single, catchy and enigmatic all at once, with its wispy Rickie Lee Jones-like vocal, Europop energy and topical lyrics (delivered on the album in both English and German versions). But the other ten cuts are utterly undistinguished, a swirl of routine synth pop topped with the flavorless cherry of Nena Kerner's singing, immaculately free of personality and substance. (RS 419)

DON SHEWEY