Thanks to his role as lead vocalist of Pink Cream 69 for the past 13 years and seven albums — replacing Andi Deris, who joined Helloween — David Readman's first solo album sounds instantly familiar. Which isn't a bad thing, considering that this self-titled disc contains a dozen examples of hard-rock finesse. It doesn't matter if Readman is taking smart and sophisticated influences from PC69 on "Without You," mixing religion and politics on "Evil Combination," indulging in mindless Eighties arena rock like "Wild in the City," canonizing Jimi Hendrix in "New Messiah," converting to an acoustic troubadour on "Over the Ocean," succumbing to a lovely piano ballad in "Love In Vain" or borrowing melodies from 1987-era Whitesnake for "Take These Tears" (an old PC69 song title from the Deris years, by the way) — the guy simply exudes class.
He's backed by an equally classy roster of players that includes PC69 band mate Uwe Reitenauer, Silent Force's Alex Beyrodt and Tommy Denander on guitars; Vanden Plas' Günter Werno and Vox Tempus' Eric Ragno on keyboards; Eden's Curse's Paul Logue on bass and Elegy's Dirk Bruinenberg on drums. The always-reliable Dennis Ward produced this thing to sound stellar — but not quite as stellar as Readman's main gig. After all, solo albums aren't supposed to be better than a band effort; they should just come damn close.
Track Listing:
1) Without You
2) Evil Combination
3) Take These Tears
4) Don't Let It Slip Away
5) No Peace For the Wicked
6) Long Way to Heaven
7) Wild In the City
8) Gentle Touch
9) Prisoner of Shame
10) New Messiah
11) Over the Ocean
12) Love inVain
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