Live @ De Boerderij, Zoetermeer, The Netherlands - 2009/01/22 - photo: HCTFKeyboard player Don Airey has come back to Earth for his new solo record all Out. Most of the 2008 predecessor All Light In the Sky was about outerspcae and sciend ce fciotn, but now his songs deal with love, relationships and ending the album with the epic Tobruk, a ten minute plus tribute to the allies forces at the 1942 battle the second World War (his family was there).
Airey is a member of Deep Purple, whoszw rad schedule keeps him awfully busy throughout the year. Still, he insisted of recording his album with all players present in the studio (he made an exception for Joe Bonammassa added his solo for People In Your Head after he was send the track). By gathering the players in a single room, the tracks come very much alive - it always helps if you can actually see what the other is doing. All Out is good title for an album that celebreates the roar of his Hammond organ, a monster that he is trying to tame. Instrumentals like B'os and Right Arm Overture will frustrate generations of budding keyboard players. Deceptively simple to begin with they evolve into text book exercises. Signer Carl Sentance adds his Seventies hard rock inspired vocals to the mix and those work well, but he sounds a bit cheesy and over the top when the band launches into Hendrix' Fire. Once agian Rob Harris show his fluid chops as Airey's main man for the guitar parts. Having a bunch of guest players, including his brother Keith, to perform six string duties wasn't really necessary, but it adds to musical family atmosphere of All Out.
Don Airey: keyboards
Carl Sentance: vocals
Darrin Mooney: drums
Lawrence Cottle: bass
Rob Harris: guitar
Special guest guitarists: Joe Bonamassa, Bernie Marsden, Keith Airey
All Out is released on Music Theory Recordings.
- The Way I Feel Inside
- Estancia
- People In Your Head
- B’cos
- Running From The Shadows
- Right Arm Overture
- Fire
- Long Road
- Wrath Of Thor
- Tobruk
HCTF review of A Light in the Sky .
