Yes, folks, this Ian Gillan is the same guy as the vocalist for Deep Purple. During breaks between Deep Purple albums, Gillan has been composing and releasing his solo albums – Dreamcatcher is his eighth effort. This time around it’s a bit ironic that DP’s new album Abandon and Gillan’s solo effort are being released in the same time-frame. It’s also strange that this album was recorded in Liverpool, and re-mixed and mastered in Longwood, Florida!
Dreamcatcher sounds like a Deep Purple record, but not quite. His vocals are as slick and impressive as in any DP records, but the absence of other members of DP has really made a difference. (Roger Glover, bassist for DP, is on this record – as a photographer) One Steve Morris has played guitars and accompaniment. Morris, a virtuoso on the guitar, has done his job well, but he seems to be a bit too ready to step out for a guitar solo, or a shred-fill. Morris is quite versatile – plays some neat blues rock in “You Sold My Love For a Song” and slide guitar, besides the regular metal guitar – and original, with quite a handful of ingenious riffs in this album. All in all, this is a short album filled with fun songs and neat little catchy tunes.
Hi-lights: The bluesy “You Sold My Love For a Song,” catchy “A Day Late and a Dollar Short,” little Indian/East Asian-influenced “Chandra’s Coriander,” and many toe-tapper melodies. Forbidden Records, P.O.Box 555488, Orlando, FL 32855-5488; http://www.Forbiddenrecords.com
