Product Description
Do you know what combines Ozzy Osbourne’s “Diary Of A Madman”, Rainbow’s “Down To Earth” and Whitesnake’s “1987”, to name only three (excellent) albums? On each of them it was no one else than Don Airey who touched the ivories. This keyboard wizard is now very much part of the Deep Purple line-up, but in between his work for them he has found some time to write and record his second solo album, a follow-up for “K2: Tales Of Triumpth And Tragedy”, which was released two decades ago.

For “A Light In The Sky”, Don Airey has gathered musicians such as Laurence Cottle (Bill Bruford, Eric Clapton) and Chris Childs (Shadowman) on bass, Darrin Mooney (Gary Moore, Primal Scream) and Harry James (Thunder) on drums, Rob Harris (Jamiroquai) on guitars and one Lidia Baich on violin. What makes the album so entertaining for me, is the perfect balance between vocal and instrumental tracks. Three vocalists were hired to perform part of the material – Danny Bowes (Thunder), Carl Sentence (Ghost, Krokus, Persian Risk) and the afore-mentioned Harry James – and all three of them are doing a mighty fine job.

As the album title suggests, there is a space thread running through the 17 (yes!) songs on offer. Don comments: “In my youth I was very interested in astronomy. These days I live in the Cambridge astronomer belt. I have a telescope and know my way around the sky. I must own nearly 60 books about the creation of the universe, the birth of stars, planetary systems etcetera, so in some ways I’m musing about what we’re doing here on earth.” All this and more has led to a journey that takes the listener to the various corners of the musical world. “What I had in mind”, adds Don, “was making something like a cross between Rainbow, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Jean-Michel Jarre”. And that, ladies and gents, is exactly what Mr Airey has accomplished. So, don’t expect an ordinary hard rock album here, but one that invites you on a musical journey with some really good instrumental and vocal tracks, all performed by a well-oiled backing band. Listening tips include the instrumentals “Ripples In The Fabric Of Time” (featuring some whirling keyboard work), “Sombrero M104” (great piano!) and “Lost In The End Of Time” as well as the vocal tracks “Shooting Star” (a Rainbow-ish track featuring a great Carl Sentence), “Love You Too Much” (performed by Thunder’s Danny Bowes) and – last but not least – the title track “A Light In The Sky (Pt 2), again featuring a great Carl Sentence, who reveals himself as the revelation of the album. The odd track out is “Rocket To The Moon”, which is an early 50s song by an obscure Texan artist listening to the name of Moon Mullican, sung by no one else than Thunder’s always funny drummer Harry James. Nice comeback, if I might use that word!

1. Big Bang
2. Ripples In The Fabric Of Time
3. Shooting Star
4. Space Patrol
5. Andromeda M31
6. Endless Night
7. Rocket To The Moon
8. Lift Off
9. Love You Too Much
10. Cartwheel ESO 350-40
11. Sombrero M104
12. Into Orbit
13. A Light In The Sky (Pt 2)
14. Pale Blue Dot
15. Metallicity
16. Big Crunch
17. Lost In The End Of Time

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001DSNG2M/?tag=imwan-20