David Readman
DAVID READMAN

October 2007
Released: 2007, Frontiers Records
Rating: 4.0/5
Reviewer: Chaosankh

Usually when a lead singer does a solo album, it is done to fill some void that is missing in his everyday band’s output. With David Readman’s debut solo release, however, it’s hard to figure out exactly what his purpose was in making this record. The twelve songs that make up this release could easily be put in a different package with his main band’s (Pink Cream 69) name on it, and nobody would question it. This makes this album an easy sell to fans of Pink Cream 69’s brand of ultra-melodic hard rock/metal that leans towards the eighties without shame.



If there is one difference between this album and the majority of the work that Readman has done with Pink Cream 69 since he replaced Helloween’s Andi Deris as front man, it is that this self-titled release travels even deeper into the cheese factor of eighties hard rock/hair metal. What makes Pink Cream 69 so good is that, with few exceptions, they lean towards that sound without sounding so completely over the top. Even with this slight transgression, the album is a worthy listen as Readman’s voice is so slick and smooth and so perfect for this kind of music that you can’t help yourself from singing along to the silly hooks in songs like “Wild in the City.” If this guy had been around in the late eighties, he would have been a wealthy superstar with videos played ad nauseum on MTV. The lead single for the record, “Don’t Let it Slip Away” is an absolute highlight with its big hook that gets branded into your head halfway through the first listen. Beyond that, it’s not really worth delving into any other individual tracks. If you've heard the albums of his day-job band, or if you ever heard a hard rock album from the late eighties/early nineties, you know what to expect: glossy, upbeat tunes with big choruses with a few raise-your-lighter ballads thrown in to change up the pace.



If his sole purpose in making this record was to simply make another kick ass hard rock record, he can rest easy with that mission accomplished. However, if there is anything to be disappointed by with this album, it is that he did not choose to venture off into some different styles. It would have been interesting to hear how this incredible voice would sound singing something removed from what we have heard before. On the upside, though, he delivers something to his existing fans that they will surely enjoy. Fans of Pink Cream 69 should buy this album immediately. Anyone else out there who may be unfamiliar with that band, but considers himself or herself a fan of the anthemic hard rock of the eighties, should pick this up at once. Then, go out and buy the last several Pink Cream 69 albums.