Don Airey is best known for his work on the recordings of a Who's Who of rock -- Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Judas Priest, Gary Moore, Ozzy Osbourne, Rainbow, and Whitesnake, just to name a few -- as well as having spent most of the past decade with Deep Purple, but he has also found time to pursue projects of his own, ranging from such diverse things as the album of Police covers with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Classic Police), to his previous solo record, the progressive rock gem K2: Tales Of Triumph & Tragedy. Twenty years later, he's finally released another, A Light In The Sky.

This time around, he's presenting a cross-section of styles from his career, from the progressive rock of K2, through the radio-friendly rock ballads of Rainbow, to the power rock of Deep Purple. Throughout it all, it seems that the primary focus was simply to have fun, and that comes through in the music -- never forced, always authentic, songs played simply because the musicians enjoyed playing them.

Now on Mascot Records, home to a number of musician's musicians, Don Airey has gathered a supporting cast from different backgrounds and influences, and synthesized their talents into a whole. These include Laurence Cottle and Chris Childs on bass, Darrin Mooney and Harry James on drums, Rob Harris on guitar, and classical violinist Lidia Baich rounding out the instrumental section. Vocals are ably provided by Carl Sentance for the most part, with Danny Bowes taking one song as well.

Now that there is a gap before the next leg of the Deep Purple tour, it is possible that Don may be able to do some dates to promote the record, if he is able to find some spare time from the forementioned musicians. You should check with the Mascot website (www.mascotrecords.com) or Don Airey's own website (http://www.donairey.com/) for further details on the album and any possible upcoming concert dates. As well, any dates we hear about will be listed on our tourdates pages.

If you are unable to find the CD in a record shop near you, you can order the CD from Mascot directly, or via Amazon (see our shop for links).

Track Listing

1. Big Bang
2. Ripples In The Fabric Of Time
3. Shooting Star
4. Space Troll Patrol
5. Andromeda M31
6. Endless Night
7. Rocket To The Moon
8. Life 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

Last update: March 25, 2008