Don Airey

The man behind the curtain has stepped into the forefront. For decades, Don Airey has been the man behind the scenes playing keyboards for some of the greatest rock bands of all time. He has played with Deep Purple, Rainbow, Gary Moore and Ozzy to name just a few. Airey’s newest disc, A Light In The Sky, is a testament to why the man has so much staying power in a business that grinds people up and tosses them away seemingly overnight.

This disc is a progressive rock masterpiece. Songs such as “Ripples in the Fabric Of Time,” “Space Troll Patrol” and “Andromeda” are straight up instrumental jam fests, reminiscent of old Yes. The musicianship is second to none and with superb guitar playing and Airey cranking on the keys there are moments that will make your jaw hit the floor; the playing is that good.

My favorite track on the disc hands down is “Rocket to the Moon” a throw back retro tune that combines Airey’s organ playing with a bit of Rockabilly, resulting in a song that is great fun to listen to. Other notable tunes are the jazz inspired “Sombrero M104” and the string infused “Into Orbit.” Both of which are good examples of the variety of music to be found on this disc. There is pretty much something here for everyone, from the Metal Head to the fan of good music in general, it all in here waiting to be cranked up and enjoyed.

Bottom line A Light In The Sky is a great record, I pretty much like the complete album, which is very atypical for me. I usually find at least a few songs where I hit skip, but there is no filler to be found here.  [ END ]

Track Listing:

01. Big Bang
02. Ripples In The Fabric Of Time
03. Shooting Star
04. Space Troll Patrol
05. Andromeda M31
06. Endless Night
07. Rocket To The Moon
08. Lift Off
09. Love You Too Much
10. Cartwheel E50 350-40
11. Sombrero M104
12. Into Orbit
13. A Light In The Sky (PT2)
14. Pale Blue Dot
15. Metallicity
16. Big Crunch
17. Lost In The End Of Time

Run Time: 63:40