DON AIREY

Keyboard player Don Airey is a rock legend, having appeared on some of the classic albums of the genre, namely Ozzy Osbourne’s ‘Blizzard of Oz’ and ‘Diary of a Madman’, Rainbow’s ‘Down to Earth’ and Whitesnake’s multi platinum self-titled 1987 release. As well as playing on these albums, he has also been a member of Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Judas Priest and the current incarnation of Deep Purple to name but a few. ‘All Out’ is rock legend Airey’s third solo album, which takes its title from both the approach adopted during its recording, ie with 100% effort, and from the cricketing term, a sport for which Airey would seem to have a great fondness. Musicians who participated in its crafting include Joe Bonamassa, Bernie Marsden and Don’s brother, Keith. Vocal duties are handled by Carl Sentance who has previously sung with Krokus. This release begins with ‘The Way I feel Inside’ which is a fairly standard number. Next up is ‘Estancia’ which is the first of several instrumentals on the album. It opens with a martial drum beat before morphing into something that wouldn’t be out of place on any of ELP’s releases. ‘People In Your Head’ is the third track and it features some excellent guitar work and has a Deep Purple kind of feel to it. ‘B’Cos’ follows; it’s another instrumental track, this time with a slower, more laid back style. Of the remaining tracks, which are a mixture of instrumentals and cuts with vocals, the best are ‘Right Arm Overture’ which is a cricket themed instrumental, ‘Wrath of Thor’ which, as befits the title, is a darker, heavier composition and ‘Tobruk’ which documents one of the famous battles of the Desert Campaign of the Second World War and has a suitably military feel to it. Airey has been around for more years than he probably cares to remember and, with this longevity, has come a great professionalism. This attribute is readily apparent in this recording as everything, from the individual performances to the production is first rate. This is a release that would appeal to most rock fans, not just those who have followed Airey’s career over the years.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Mascot Records

Album

ALL OUT

Review by Dave Uphill

RUNNING TIME:

55:41

RELEASE DATE:

22nd August 2011

TRACK LISTING

1) The Way I Feel Inside
2) Estancia
3) People in Your Head
4) B'cos
5) Running from the Shadows
6) Right Arm Overture
7) Fire
8) Long Road
9) Wrath of Thor
10) Tobruk

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

UK

"This is a release that would appeal to most rock fans, not just those who have followed Airey’s career over the years."