Hartmann: 15 Pearls and Gems/ 3

As I pointed out to YouTube's Pete Pardo recently, there's an absolute shedload of Hartmann product about. Like Alessandro Del Vecchio it sometimes seems like he's on every release some months. The eponymously named Hartmann band has released eight albums, he's part of a Pink Floyd tribute band in Germany , he was in At Vance and of course, he's a key member of Tobias Sammet's Avantasia.

For our consideration this month we have 15 Pearls and Gems and 3. 15 Pearls and Gems. Co-produced by Sascha Paeth (Avantasia, Beyond The Black, Kamelot). 15 Pearls and Gems contains fifteen songs, five of which are new , five are cover tracks and there are five live versions of Hartmann songs. 15 Pearls and Gems is more cohesive than it sounds, mainly because of the very solid songs and of course, the powerful voice of Oliver Hartmann who always commits himself fully to whatever song he's singing. One of the covers which was apparently originally done by Jermaine Kackson and tiny actress Pia Zadora is a highly infectious piece of pop metal which Hartmann performs alongside Ina Morgan. It's easy to see why it was the lead single. Less successful is the cover of Billy Joel's "I Go to Extremes" which is odd as I would I would have thought that as one of Joel's rockier efforts it would have worked better. It's too faithful to the original I think. More interesting is the cover of "Uninvited" originally by Alanis Morrisette which takes on a different tone with a masculine voice. In other news, I could honestly never hear Bad Company's "Fire and Water" ever again. Ever.

3 is a more hard rock type of record and whilst it is good to have it available again it is the sound of somebody trying to get their mojo going properly. It's pretty straightforward rock record with a great big ballad "Don't Give Up Your Dream" in the middle which despite having some violin early on has a cool Deep Purple vibe or even a Prisoners in Paradise era Europe feeling. I've been hitting the repeat button on this one more than anything else on the album.

Track Listing for 15 Pearls and Gems:
1. Can’t Stop This Train
2. Walking On A Thin Line
3. How Does It feel
4. You Will Make It
5. Glow (Remix 2020)
6. When The Rain Begins To Fall (feat. Ina Morgan)
7. Street Café
8. I Go To Extremes
9. Uninvited
10. Fire And Water
11. The Sun’s Still Rising (live)
12. What If I (live)
13. Don’t Give Up Your Dream (live)
14. Brothers (live) (feat. Tobias Sammet)
15. Out In The Cold (live)

Track Listing for 3:
1. I Wont Get Fooled Again

2. From Outta Space

3. Suddenly

4. All I Can Say

5. Right Here Right Now

6. Dont Give Up Your Dream 

7. Broken Down

8. Dont Tell Me its Over 

9. Lost in Havanna

10. Brothers

11. Forgotten Innocence 


Added: May 1st 2020
Reviewer: Simon Bray
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 745
Language: english

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